A months-old video of John Leguizamo telling ICE supporters to stay away from his work has resurfaced this week, just as his latest film closes in on a major box office milestone. The clip, recirculated as “The Odyssey” approaches $200 million domestic in its first week, shows the Golden Globe nominee drawing a firm line for his fan base. In the video, originally posted in January, Leguizamo stares into the camera and says, “If you follow ICE, unfollow me,” before adding, “Don’t come to my shows and don’t watch my movies.” He captioned the post “abolish ICE.”
Leguizamo currently appears in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” and has been an outspoken critic of the immigration enforcement agency for months. In January he joined New York’s theater community for a demonstration against the agency following the deaths of American citizens Alex Pretti, Renee Good and Keith Porter Jr. at the hands of ICE agents. Officials initially said Pretti had brandished a firearm, though bystander video appeared to show an agent removing his legally owned handgun just before two other agents opened fire on him ten times.
The comments followed an earlier exchange with actor Dean Cain, who announced he had signed on as an honorary ICE officer. Leguizamo mocked the move at the time, calling Cain “a loser” and “a moron” for volunteering with the agency. Cain has remained one of the few prominent entertainment figures publicly defending ICE, at one point responding to fellow actor Ethan Hawke’s remarks about a climate of fear in the country by telling him to “try being a conservative.”
Reaction to the resurfaced clip has split along familiar lines. The original post drew close to 300,000 likes within its first ten hours online, with supporters praising Leguizamo’s stance. Critics pushed back just as forcefully, with one commenter dismissing his filmography and a radio host suggesting the actor overestimates his own influence.
Unlike other celebrities who have criticized the agency without directly addressing their own audiences, Leguizamo’s explicit call for ICE supporters to boycott his work marked a more direct approach, one that drew comparisons to actress Rachel Zegler’s post-election comments in 2024. Universal has not commented on the renewed attention surrounding its star as “The Odyssey” continues its theatrical run.
