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Joe Rogan chalked up the country’s mixed reactions to the fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO to the “dirty business” of health insurance.
Rogan and his guests, filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, discussed the December 4 death of Brian Thompson on a Midtown Manhattan street on Tuesday’s episode of the mega-popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
The podcaster and his guests predicted there wouldn’t be much sympathy for the 50-year-old insurance executive due to the state of health insurance in the US.
“I don’t think anybody is going to be crying too hard over” Thompson’s death, Avary said.
“Maybe his family, but that’s about it,” Rogan replied. “It’s a dirty, dirty business. The business of insurance is f***ing gross. It’s gross, especially healthcare insurance.”
The attack elicited a wide-range of reactions, revealing the public’s deep-seated frustration over the American health care system. Some launched GoFundMe pages in support of the suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, others wrote folk songs about the incident, and many flooded the internet with dark jokes and celebratory posts.
“He is no hero,” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a Monday press conference. He added that it is “disturbing” how many Americans have “looked to celebrate instead of condemning this killer.”
After a six-day manhunt for the masked suspect who police believe carried out the “targeted” shooting, Mangione was charged Monday with second-degree murder.
His arrest came after a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania recognized Mangione from the photos of the suspect circulated by the NYPD. The Ivy League graduate also faces gun charges in Pennsylvania.
“I don’t think this guy was a professional,” Rogan said. “I think this guy, if I had to guess, was some guy who got f***ed over.”
Friends of Mangione have said that he suffered from debilitating back pain and underwent spinal surgery in 2023. He fell off the grid shortly thereafter, those close to him told the New York Times. His mother even reported the 26-year-old missing mere weeks before the shooting, the San Francisco Standard reported.
The motive for the shooting is still being explored. His defense attorney has said he expects his client to plead not guilty to both the New York and Pennsylvania charges. Mangione appeared Tuesday at an extradition hearing, where he contested being moved to New York and a judge denied him bail.
“It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!” a handcuffed Mangione yelled while being escorted into the courthouse.
They also discussed the health insurance giant’s claim denial rate. UnitedHealthcare denies paying about one-third of its claims, according to ValuePenguin.
The Independent has reached out to a representative for UnitedHealthcare for comment on its alleged denial rate.
