Celebrities at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards wore anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement pins on the red carpet and the ballroom in tribute to Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman fatally shot by an ICE officer, and Keith Porter, who was killed by an off-duty ICE officer in Los Angeles.
The Jan. 11 ceremony honored excellence in film and American television in 2025. There were 1,400 guests in attendance at this year's awards, but only five wore pins in protest of the violence.
Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Skyes, Natasha Lyonne, Jean Smart and Ariana Grande wore the black and white pins that displayed slogans like “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT.” The Associated Press described this action as “introducing a political angle into the awards show after last year’s relatively apolitical ceremony.”
In previous years, the Golden Globes were known for its politically charged award acceptance speeches, but in recent years has showcased more neutral, non-political discussion from celebrities. Part of the rise in activism this year comes from on-carpet testimony from celebrities. Ruffalo is one in particular who didn’t hold back at this year's Globes.
“This is for her, this is for the people in the United States who are terrorized and scared today,” Ruffalo said to USA Today on the carpet. “I know I’m one of them. I love this country. And what I’m seeing here happening is not America.”
Celebrities who attend these events hold power and a strong voice on platforms larger than most political public figures. Nelini Stamp of Working Families Power, one of the organizers for the anti-ICE pins, said, “We need our artists. We need our entertainers. We need the folks who reflect society.”
The pins worn on the carpet have followed over 1,000 events throughout the country as part of the ICE Out For Good movement, initiated by the American Civil Liberties Union. A campaign led by the ACLU and other organizations morphed into a coordinated “ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action,” beginning Jan. 10 until Jan. 11. Over 1,000 events were anticipated nationwide.
Stars who appear at ceremonies have pushed toward self-expression, advocacy and visibility using their platform to speak out on issues that matter to the American people. In 2018, many appeared on the carpet of the 75th Golden Globes wearing black dresses and tuxedos. Pins were worn that said, “Time’s Up” to protest sexual misconduct in Hollywood.
Reese Witherspoon designed them with over 300 Hollywood women leading the initiative. A letter was published in The New York Times to announce the movement before the 2018 award show.
The moment of activism at the Globes in 2018 was met with less participation in this year's rendition, but spirited determination from celebrities who expressed their outrage at the current ICE situation in America.
“We need to speak up and shut this rogue government down,” Sykes, one of the stars wearing a pin, said to Variety on the carpet. “It’s awful what they’re doing to people.”
California has remained a large hub of anti-ICE movements, where crowds are met with the local law enforcement and the National Guard. Stars have been expressing frustration about ICE raids around the country before the Golden Globe award show; however, it's bravery that doesn’t prevail each time.
Although only five stars wore the pins at the recent Golden Globes, there is still a push for advocacy and justice. It's a positive statement by powerful and influential people on one of the biggest stages for media.
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