Why Did Hollywood Stars Like Mark Ruffalo And Ariana Grande Wear ‘ICE OUT’ And ‘BE GOOD’ Pins At Golden Globes? Real Reason Explained

The Golden Globe Awards kicked off awards season in Hollywood on Sunday, January 11. But honestly, nobody paid that much attention to the usual glitz and glamour this time.

Hollywood protests against ICE Agents at Golden Globes 2026

What really stood out were the black and white pins actors wore, stamped with slogans like “Be Good” and “ICE Out.” These weren’t just fashion statements; they honoured Renee Nicole Good and Keith Porter.

Renee Nicole Good died when an ICE officer, Jonathan Ross, shot her in her car on January 7 in Minneapolis. Keith Porter was killed, too, by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve.

Golden Globes: Hollywood stars step out with pins 

A bunch of big names like Mark Ruffalo, Jean Smart, Wanda Sykes, and Natasha Lyonne showed up with those pins. Some pinned them on before even stepping onto the red carpet. 

Others waited until they got inside the ballroom. Either way, the message was loud and clear.

Ruffalo and Sykes, especially, made their feelings known. On the red carpet outside the Beverly Hilton, Ruffalo told USA Today, “This is for Renee Nicole Goode, who was murdered.”

Then he turned his attention to President Donald Trump, calling out the government’s actions. “We’re in the middle of a war with Venezuela that we illegally invaded,” Ruffalo said. “He’s telling the world international law doesn’t matter to him. The only thing that matters is his own morality, but the guy is a convicted felon or convicted rapist.”

Ruffalo didn’t hold back: “He’s a pedophile. He’s the worst human being. If we’re relying on this guy’s morality for the most powerful country in the world, then we’re all in a lot of trouble.”

He kept going: “So this is for her [Good]. This is for the people in the United States who are terrorized and scared today. I know I’m one of them. I love this country. And what I’m seeing here happening is not America.”

Wanda Sykes, speaking to Variety before the ceremony, summed it up: “We need to raise our voices and shut this rogue government down. It’s horrific what they’re doing to people.”

The pins said it all; Hollywood was standing up for those caught in the crossfire of America’s immigration crackdown.

What was the origin of the idea of the ICE Out pins? 

The concept of the creation of the ice out pins was sparked, according to the Associated Press, by a late-night text message between Nelini Stamp of the working families power and the head of the Latino advocacy group Maremoto, Jess Morales-Rocketto.

They were aware that cultural events of high profile had the potential to expose millions of viewers to social issues. This will be the third Golden Globe activism that will occur to Morales Rocketto who has already brought Hollywood to arms against the Trump administration policies which separate families. Stamp added that she always recalls the 1973 Oscar when Sacheen Littlefeather replaced Marlon Brando and refused to accept his award as she opposed the way Native Americans were depicted in entertainment at the time.

Thus, the two organisers started inviting the celebrities and influencers they knew, who in turn addressed the higher-ranking individuals in their networks about their campaign.

That was the first outreach where labour activist Ai-jen Poo, who attended the red carpet of the Golden Globe in 2018 with Meryl Streep to bring attention to the Time’s Up movement. 

Renee Good and Keith Porter shot dead by ICE agents.

On January 7, 2018, Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot dead by an ICE officer, Jonathan Ross, in Minneapolis. City officials identified the mother of three as the legal observer of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) workings because she had just relocated to the city.

Good recently had dropped her son off at school, and just before she was about to head to work, she met a number of immigration agents.

They came towards her car, and she started to drive away when the officer shot three bullets at the windscreen, and these bullets hit her directly in the face, killing her, as one of the videos shared on social media says.

Only a week ahead of the murder of Good, an off-duty ICE agent killed 43-year-old Keith Porter in Los Angeles. His death had caused outrage in the Los Angeles area, demanding that the officer involved be arrested.

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