Olympian Gus Kenworthy Reveals Horrifying Threats Following Anti-ICE Message: 'It's Insane'

Olympian Gus Kenworthy shared a bold message speaking out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the 2026 Winter Olympics. In an image covered by The Blast, Kenworthy spelled the words "f-ck ice" in urine across the snow.

Gus Kenworthy's message drew mixed reactions at the time, with some praising the Olympian for speaking out, while others urged the athlete to only talk about sports. In a new message, Kenworthy shared that things have actually gotten much worse than they appear, resulting in horrifying threats.

In a Sunday Instagram video, Kenworthy, an Olympic skier competing for Team GB during this year's games, said he maintains a deep love for the United States and that his criticism of ICE stems from that.

"I grew up in the U.S., that's where I went to school. I did my first two Olympics for the U.S. and won a silver medal for the U.S. That's where I live now, so yeah, I care about the U.S., and I care about what's happening there," Kenworthy said.

The athlete's initial message came amid many public figures using their platform to speak against ICE and its sweeping raids across major US cities, including parts of California, Chicago, and, most recently, Minneapolis.

Elsewhere in his video, Kenworthy revealed that he has received visceral reactions from critics who disagree with his earlier message.

"People telling me to kill myself, threatening me, wishing that they'll get to see me blow my knee or break my neck during my events, calling me slurs… It's insane," Kenworthy said.

The athlete also acknowledged that speaking out about a controversial topic likely invited "vitriol"; however, he explained why he felt compelled to comment.

"But I think it's important to say what we feel and stand up for what we believe in and stand up to injustice," he said.

In his video, Kenworthy maintained that, despite condemning ICE, he remains "proud to be an American" and wants the country to be better.

"Just because you love the U.S doesn't mean you stand with this administration and stand behind their politics and support the things that they support because I don't," he said.

In addition to his NSFW anti-ICE message earlier this week, Kenworthy urged his followers to call their local politicians and voice their concern about the Department of Homeland Security.

"You can call your Senator at (202) 224-3121 to speak up against ICE and put pressure on them during the current DHS funding negotiations," he captioned the post.

Kenworthy also provided his followers with a script, writing, "Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I'm a constituent from [Your City, State]. I'm calling to urge Senator [Name] to refuse to support any final Department of Homeland Security funding agreement that fails to meaningfully rein in ICE and Border Patrol."

Kenworthy isn't the only winter Olympian expressing disappointment with ICE in the United States, according to ABC News.

During Friday's press conference, freestyle skier Chris Lillis said he was "heartbroken" by what's gone on across the country.

"I think that, as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody's rights and making sure that we're treating our citizens as well as anybody, with love and respect," he said. "I hope that when people look at athletes compete in the Olympics, they realize that that's the America that we're trying to represent."

Before that, Hunter Hess also expressed sadness about ICE in America.

"If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I'm representing it," Hess said. "Just because I'm wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the US."

During an interview with PEOPLE, Kenworthy discussed his decision to compete for Team GB despite growing up in Colorado, characterizing the move as "patriotic."

"I feel good about it, I mean, I do feel like I'm American, but I also do feel like I'm British, and that's where I was born and my mum's British," he said. "I've definitely gotten sh-t where people are like, 'You're a traitor,' and I don't think of it that way. I had this choice in 2014 to go for either country, and at that time I was like, 'Well, I live in the States.' I wanna go for the States, and I did and I won a medal and I represented the States at another games after that."

For Kenworthy, competing for Team GB was a deeply personal decision.

"I feel like I don't owe anybody anything, and it's the path that I chose last time around to do it for my mom and this time around, like I came back and had such short timing that even if I had wanted to switch, I wouldn't have been able to," he said.

Kenworthy also admitted that competing for a spot with Team USA is much harder than it appears.

"Making the team for the U.S. is a nightmare and those guys are like fighting dog-eat-dog for those four spots and ultimately it results in men not making the U.S. team that are world-class that could be on the podium that don't get to be there, and me also going for the U.S. is just another person that's fighting for those same four spots and another person that misses out."