The Ben Shapiro Show
Episode: Friendly Fire: ICE. Ice. (And The Oscars) Baby
Date: January 29, 2026
Host: Ben Shapiro & The Daily Wire Panel
Featured Guests: Michael Knowles, Matt Walsh, Drew Hernandez, Jenny Tare
Episode Overview
This episode of The Ben Shapiro Show, titled "Friendly Fire: ICE. Ice. (And The Oscars) Baby," focuses primarily on two themes:
- The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) operation and ensuing controversy in Minneapolis, including recent shootings, media coverage, political reactions, and the operational challenges ICE faces in sanctuary cities.
- A discussion and critique of the 2026 Oscars and recent film trends, highlighting the politicization and cultural shifts evident in Hollywood and the Academy's nomination choices.
The show features the regular Daily Wire roundtable—Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles, Matt Walsh, Drew Hernandez—and is joined by reporter Jenny Tare live from Minneapolis for on-the-ground insight.
The tone is fast-paced, critical (often darkly humorous), and unwaveringly conservative.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. ICE Operations & Minneapolis Turmoil
[03:35]–[28:34]
The panel breaks down the chaos following a recent ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis, the response from left-wing activists, the media's portrayal, and evolving political strategies.
a. Shooting Controversy & Media Misinformation
- The group reacts to the recent fatal shooting involving ICE and Alex Pretty, scrutinizing activist and media responses:
- Michael Knowles [07:47]: "MSNBC changed his picture... to make him look like a supermodel or something... I literally can't believe the pictures they are running."
- Matt Walsh [12:31]: Emphasizes the difficulty of split-second police decisions and criticizes "frame-by-frame" media analysis: "Once somebody shouts gun, everything is different... Cop[s] do not want to go home with a bullet in their head."
- Drew Hernandez [13:49]: Argues the situation isn't comparable to protests or to Kyle Rittenhouse: "Kyle Rittenhouse was not interfering with any police officers… Alex Pretty took a gun... to go commit crimes, interfering with… police."
- Ben Shapiro [09:19] explains the legal standard for police shootings:
"The basic legal standard... does a reasonable officer believe that he's in imminent threat of grave physical harm?.. If you're an officer and you hear someone yell gun and then a shot goes off... you absolutely could fear for your life."
b. Sanctuary Policies & Operational Shifts
- Ben Shapiro [09:19] highlights operational shifts:
"The percentage of criminal illegal immigrants (with independent crimes) ICE deports has dropped from 87% to about 50%... That's because of sanctuary city and state statuses." - Ugly confrontational optics inhibit enforcement:
"Americans don't like ugly pictures on their TV... there’s no way to do it that isn’t ugly." ([15:03] Drew Hernandez)
c. On-the-Ground: Jenny Tare's Reporting
[19:31] Jenny Tare (Daily Wire reporter) describes first-hand the tactics used by agitators to intercept ICE operations and harass officers:
- "Spotters" follow ICE, alerting others
- Protesters block convoys, sometimes resulting in assaults
- Law enforcement morale is low, and operational focus is shifting from "quality arrests" to numbers
Memorable moment:
Jenny Tare recounts a Tesla driver intentionally hitting a car in the ICE convoy and taunting officers: "He rolled down the window at one point and he said, 'I'm illegal. Come and get me.' That's how brazen these people are." ([21:50])
d. Leadership & Political Fallout
- Panel comments on Trump administration's handling:
- Shift from Commander Bovino to Tom Homan (favoring "quality arrest" focus)
- Importance of messaging and PR to maintain support for ICE:
- Ben Shapiro [32:36]: "The last 10 years have just proved... a huge swath of our population is unbelievably bored and also susceptible to the idea that there is great fun to be had in making trouble, really.”
2. Political Implications & 'Chaos Operations'
[28:34]–[44:26]
a. What Does This Mean Politically?
- Is this a win or loss for Trump and Republicans?
- Drew Hernandez [28:34]: Insists backing off mass deportation now would be "the end of his presidency," arguing enforcement must remain aggressive.
- Matt Walsh [31:09]: Counters that tactical and messaging errors must be corrected, especially early press mischaracterizations of the shooting.
- Ben Shapiro [32:36]: Argues PR blunders by DHS head Kristi Noem are undermining support.
- Calls for firmer communication strategy and criticizes Noem and Bovino for confusing messaging.
b. Policy, Public Perception, and the "Ugly Pictures" Dilemma
- Public generally supports deporting "criminal illegals," but support wanes for broader mass deportations, especially when optics are violent or chaotic.
- Ben Shapiro [38:48]: "There’s a reason why Tom Homan and the rest of the administration keep saying 'criminal illegal immigrants.' That’s the area where you have 90/10 approval."
c. Sanctuary Cities and Political Theatre
- Ongoing friction between federal agencies and local leaders in sanctuary cities, especially Minneapolis, and the alleged direct involvement of public officials in agitation.
- Michael Knowles [41:56]: "At what point do we bring the hammer of the law down on the officials who are helping to conspire for all this?"
- Drew Hernandez [41:56]: Argues that leniency for public officials will only ensure 'more in the future.'
3. Cultural Critique: Oscars and Modern Filmmaking
[44:44]–[64:09]
a. Oscars as a Mirror of Elite Culture
- The panel ridicules the gap between elite, left-leaning Hollywood and mainstream America:
- Ben Shapiro [53:12]: "Thematic of the Oscar is which movie is most likely to foment anti right wing violence."
- Matt Walsh [50:08]: Describes the nominated films as technically outstanding but philosophically and narratively empty:
"Each film unravels in the second half because the philosophy behind it… makes no sense." - Hollywood’s moral direction and "Marvel movie morality" is derided for its simplistic Us-vs-Them worldview.
b. Specific Film Critiques
- One Battle After Another:
- Skewered as an “antifa fantasy flicker”—multiracial radicals battling white supremacist America with law enforcement as the villain ([53:37–54:05]).
- Sinners:
- “A musical about how black people need to break away and form their own country… It’s an incredibly racist film.” ([55:39] Ben Shapiro)
- Frankenstein:
- Criticized for missing the original book’s point about atheism and the loss of meaning.
- “Because Guillermo del Toro doesn't understand that it's just a monster flick. It’s a beautifully made monster flick, but it’s a monster flick.” ([61:02] Ben Shapiro)
- Begonia/Train Dreams:
- Noted as standout or at least interesting exceptions, albeit still hampered by identity themes.
c. The Death of Good Writing in Hollywood
- The panel laments the decline of meaningful storytelling, blaming political orthodoxy and reliance on visual spectacle over substance:
- Ben Shapiro [62:35]: “The writing in Hollywood has declined markedly… The pictures are more beautiful…but the movies are not as good because the writing is just not good.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On PR and law enforcement:
"But there is no way to do [enforcement] that won't be ugly... if you're not in favor of us enforcing immigration laws in an ugly way, then you're not in favor of us enforcing immigration law at all."
— Drew Hernandez | [15:03] -
On media manipulation:
"MSNBC changed his picture... with an AI generated image to make him look like a supermodel. They did it completely straight-faced."
— Michael Knowles | [11:25] -
On ICE morale:
"They're up against people who are exposing their whereabouts... this is also just an assault on their ability to go out there and conduct these operations safely. They're coming home with trauma... and physical injuries."
— Jenny Tare | [21:31] -
On American political reality:
"If you ask Americans, would they like to deport 20 million illegal immigrants?... Yes. Then they say, would you like to spend billions deporting Abuela?...No. We only want the criminally legal immigrants. You have to drill down into what Americans’ revealed preferences are."
— Ben Shapiro | [38:48] -
On contemporary films and the Oscars:
“The writing in Hollywood has declined markedly… the movies are not as good because the writing is just not good. Maybe that's because people have become too reliant on all of the rest of it.”
— Ben Shapiro | [62:35] -
On the emptiness of modern protest:
“The last 10 years have just proved... a huge swath of our population is unbelievably bored and also susceptible to... making trouble.”
— Ben Shapiro | [43:07] -
On liberal culture and cinema:
“Marvel movie morality. It's an extremely simplistic view where the liberals are always the good guys and the conservatives are always the bad guys.”
— Michael Knowles | [44:26]
Timeline of Important Segments
- [03:35] – Episode "cold open" and weather banter
- [07:47] – Introduction to the Minneapolis ICE shooting and media response
- [09:19] – Legal analysis of officer-involved shootings (Shapiro)
- [12:31] – Police use of force and misconceptions about policing (Walsh)
- [19:31] – Jenny Tare on-the-ground in Minneapolis: protester tactics, ICE morale, leadership shakeups
- [28:34] – Political implications for Trump and the GOP, PR and policy strategy
- [37:27] – Sanctuary city politics, PR battle, federal/state standoff
- [44:44] – Shift to cultural/film discussion, Marvel "morality," Oscars
- [53:12] – Best Picture nominees, overt political themes in film
- [62:35] – Decline of storytelling in modern Hollywood
Conclusion
This episode is a quintessential Ben Shapiro Show roundtable—combining sharp, critical discussion on hot-button national issues (immigration, law enforcement, media spin, and political messaging) with indictments of elite culture and Hollywood.
The panel agrees that the ICE controversy is being driven by a coordinated "chaos operation" from the left, abetted by the media, and that achieving immigration enforcement will necessarily be "ugly." Success or failure for Trump hinges not only on policy, but on mastering the PR battle.
On the cultural front, the Oscars—and Hollywood more broadly—are ridiculed for promoting leftist orthodoxy and prioritizing spectacle and ideology over meaningful storytelling.
Throughout, the podcast relies on a blend of legal analysis, political strategy, social critique, and pop culture commentary, all delivered with the panel's signature wit and bluntness.