Comedian Shane Gillis blasted the Department of Homeland Security for producing meme-style videos to promote Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, calling the campaign “[explicit] terrible” during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Gillis criticized the Trump administration’s social media strategy, saying it trivializes the serious issue of illegal immigration. “ICE is making funny videos about deporting people,” he said. “Don’t [explicit] make it funny. It’s a serious thing.”
He further mocked the agency, claiming, “A lot of the people running ICE are obviously just weird [explicit] psychos.”
The comments sparked backlash from conservative audiences, especially given Gillis’s earlier criticisms of President Donald Trump. In July, during his ESPY Awards monologue, Gillis took jabs at Trump over January 6 and the administration’s alleged handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
“Donald Trump wants to stage a UFC fight on the White House lawn; the last time he staged a fight in D.C., Mike Pence almost died,” Gillis said at the time.
He also joked, “There was supposed to be an Epstein joke here, but it got deleted… Probably never existed. Actually. Let’s move on as a country and ignore that.”
Gillis previously aligned himself with Bud Light in a failed brand rehabilitation campaign after its controversial ad partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The move earned him criticism from fans, particularly those already alienated by Bud Light’s public fall from favor with conservatives.
Once canceled by Saturday Night Live for politically incorrect jokes, Gillis has since built a loyal following through independent comedy. But his continued jabs at conservative institutions, from ICE to President Trump, are now testing the patience of many who once viewed him as a cultural counterpunch to the woke left.
