Posted in: Amazon Studios, Current News, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: opinion, the boys

The Boys Showrunner Hits Back at ICE: "F*** These Untrained Clowns"

The Boys' Eric Kripke made it crystal clear how he feels about Trump's ICE and what they've been doing in Minneapolis and around the country.

Being credited not just for reflecting the current state of affairs but also for being a "crystal ball" for what's on the horizon can be a double-edged sword. When you're a show like Prime Video and Showrunner Eric Kripke's The Boys, we have a feeling that there are a hundred other things you would rather be praised for than reflecting the damage that the Trump Administration continues to inflict upon the U.S. While Kripke and the folks have never wasted an opportunity to twist the knife on Trump, it clear that the comedy comes with a sense of urgency – a red flag that the lines have blurred to the point of being virtually nonexistent. But what Trump's U.S. Department of Homeland Security, its ICE agents, and other government operatives have been doing in Minneapolis, Minnesota (and other parts of the country), Kripke bluntly made his feelings clear on social media.

In less than a month, ICE and government agents have been involved in the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti – with the government's claims of what went down in both instances challenged by videos taken during both shootings. "Are you as heartbroken and disgusted by this fucking bullshit as I am?" Kripke posted on Instagram Stories at one point, including a screencap of The Onion with the headline, "ICE Vows to Restore Order Using Whatever Force Necessary." He followed that up with a second post with the caption, "I know I'm posting jokes to cope, but seriously fuck these untrained clowns" (along with a screencap from The Onion with the headline, "ICE Agents Wait at Edge of Delivery Table to Deport Newborn").

Eric Kripke on The Boys Being "Political Show" Now; Homelander/Trump

During an interview with Forbes from January 2025, Kripke discussed how the streaming series has leaned into being a political show, how current events impact the season's writing (but not the show's endgame), and how having Homelander and Trump in the same room would go. "Look, I think 'The Boys' probably, for better or worse, is a political show at this point. I think season four was political. I think the world has sort of grown to resemble the show more and more in a way that's not great. And so, we just sort of lean into it. I mean, the show is about why and how you should question your leaders. You should question anyone who stands in front of you. You should question anyone who is pitching you simple answers to complicated problems and who is saying that they're the only ones who can save you – like those are dangerous people. Obviously, we're not shy about saying that, but I take a little bit of pride in that for our bananas superhero show, we're one of the most current shows on TV in terms of like reflecting exactly what's happening in the world at this moment, and that's great. It's amazing for a superhero show to be doing that. So, I'm really proud that we pulled that off," Kripke shared, noting that over the seasons, the writers began to embrace how the series and real life were reflecting one another.

After noting that not all of the scripts were written at the time of the interview last month, Kripke shared how current events routinely impact the scripts as they evolve from first draft to filming-approved. "I mean, look – things adjust all the time. That happened in season one when like the 'Me Too' movement broke in the middle of the season, and we had to go back and rethink a lot of things. So, we're sort of used to this organic movement of the scripts always transforming a little bit, based on what's happening in the world. So, that doesn't really scare us. That's pretty par for the course. You're always rewriting these things right up until the day before they shoot and, sometimes, the day they shoot. So, we're used to changing things as the world changes – but yes, we definitely adjust scripts as new events come to light," the showrunner explained.

But in terms of where the series and characters are heading during their final run, Kripke adds that the "big picture" endgame plans don't change. "We have, in terms of the big picture of the story, like it stays the same. I mean, especially in the final season when every character has to reach their climax – like we've had those in our back pocket for a while and this season is mostly just figuring out how to get there, you know? So, it's more like the stuff that the characters talk about that's happening in society, and some of the joke targets we're taking, and some of that stuff changes, but the main bones of it stay pretty similar."

Since the conversation was already on the topic of politics, Kripke was asked how a one-on-one between Homelander and Trump would go. Let's just say that he doesn't see them being BFFs. "I think they would clash. I think they both require a lot of oxygen. So, I think if you were to put them in the same room at the same time, I think that between them, there could probably be only one," Kripke explained.

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