Actor Kurt Russell wrote “The Badge,” a monologue praising law enforcement officers and opposing the defunding of police departments.
In July 2026, people credited film and TV actor Kurt Russell with writing “The Badge,” a monologue praising law enforcement officers and opposing the defunding of police departments.
In short, Russell did not write this. Users incorrectly credited the actor with writing the post, which appears later in this article. Early versions of the same monologue attributed it to “Unknown,” indicating one or more people later added Russell’s name. Snopes previously reported about this matter in August 2020.
We emailed one of Russell’s representatives with United Talent to request an official statement saying the actor did not write the post and will update this article if we receive that confirmation.
‘The Badge’
In one example of this rumor, on July 22 a Facebook user shared a post (archived) with a photo of Russell and the fiery monologue. The post begins with an alleged Russell quote, then features the title “The Badge” with 18 examples of police officers’ acts of heroism. The post reads as follows:
Kurt Russell wrote: “Yes… let’s all join in the hatred of all police for the sins of a few. Let’s defund one of the most important public institutions in our countries history. Let’s have all badges removed and allow people to tend to their own safety and security. But before you do so, let me tell you about the badge and the thousands of good men and women it represents.
The Badge:
This badge ran towards certain death as the Towers collapsed on 9-11.
This badge ran into the line of fire to save the people in the Pulse Night Club.
This badge sheltered thousands as bullets rained down from the Mandalay Hotel in Las Vegas.
This badge protected a BLM rally that left five officers dead in Dallas.
This badge ran into the Sandy Hook School to stop a school shooter.
This badge killed the Oregon District mass shooter in seconds.
This badge has done CPR on your drowned child.
This badge has fist fought the wife beater who left his spouse in a coma.
This badge has run into burning buildings to save the occupants.
This badge has been shot for simply existing.
This badge has waded through flood waters to rescue the elderly trapped on the roof.
This badge has intentionally crashed into the wrong way driver to protect innocent motorists.
This badge has helped find the lost child so his mother would stop crying hysterically.
This badge has helped the injured dog off the road and rushed it to the vet.
This badge has escorted the elderly woman across the street because she couldn’t see well and was afraid to cross.
This badge has bought food for hungry kids because they had been abandoned.
This badge has been soaked in blood and tears.
This badge has been covered by a mourning band to honor those who have sacrificed everything in service.
You may hate me because I wear it. But, I wear it with pride. Despite your hate and your anger, I will await the next call for help. And, I will come running without hesitation. Just like the thousands of men and women across this great nation.
This badge. ~Unknown
Every Cop, Cop Friend, Cop Relative, and Law Enforcement Supporter, should copy & paste this !!! 👍👍😎
Other users posting on Facebook, LinkedIn, Truth Social and X also shared “The Badge” with Russell’s name at the top. “Unknown” appears as a credit near the end of those posts.
Looking for the source of ‘The Badge’
Searches of DuckDuckGo and Google located Facebook users sharing “The Badge” without Russell’s name as early as June 4, 2020. That early version of the text started not with the alleged Russell quote but instead the words, “Let me tell you about the badge and the thousands of good men and women it represents.”
Those early June 2020 posts also featured the attribution, “Copied from Dave Riviere.” Via Messenger, we contacted a retired police chief named Dave Riviere to ask whether he penned the text and will update this story if we receive an answer.
Similar searches on Facebook filtered to show only posts from 2020 found a potential clue in a May 30 post (archived). That post did not feature “The Badge” but appeared to reference the writing, including with an embed of another post — possibly the original source. However, that embedded post under the May 30 post failed to display, instead reading, “This content isn’t available right now. When this happens, it’s usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it’s been deleted.”
Shared following George Floyd’s death
Based on the May and June 2020 Facebook posts, “The Badge” appeared to originate in the days following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died while a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck on May 25, 2020. A jury found that officer, Derek Chauvin, guilty of murder.
At the time, law enforcement officers worldwide faced mass demonstrations. Protesters’ signs and chants often called to “defund the police” — a message “The Badge” references.
For further reading, we previously reported about a rumor alleging people boycotted Russell for saying children shouldn’t be allowed to watch cartoons with LGBTQ+ themes.
