Mega podcaster Joe Rogan suggested that the lack of public sympathy for the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is due to the “dirty business” he was involved in.
During a conversation with filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and producer Roger Avary on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Rogan, 57, briefly discussed a photo of accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione.
“I don’t think this guy was a professional,” Rogan said in the episode recorded about a week before Mangione was captured at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., following a manhunt.
“I think this guy, if I had to guess, was some guy who got f–ked over,” commented Rogan. “Apparently, that company is really bad at denying claims.”
Avary and Rogan highlighted the high denial rate for health insurance claims that UnitedHealthcare is accused of having with its policyholders.
“I don’t think anybody is going to be crying too hard over [Thompson],” Avary remarked.
“Maybe his family, but that’s about it,” Rogan replied.
“It’s a dirty, dirty business. The business of insurance is f–king gross. It’s gross. Especially healthcare insurance. It’s f–king gross.”
Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson as the CEO walked to a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was hosting its annual investor conference.
He was reported missing by his prominent Maryland real estate family last month after he lost touch with them following a recent back surgery.
The 26-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate was found with a ghost gun, masks, a US passport, and rambling writings linking him to the ambush when he was arrested at the Pennsylvania McDonald’s after a five-day manhunt.
What we know about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
- Brian Thompson, the CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, was gunned down outside a luxury Midtown hotel in a “brazen, targeted attack,” police said.
- Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealth in April 2021 and had been with the company since 2004. He was one of several senior executives at the company under investigation by the Department of Justice.
- Thompson’s wife, Paulette, revealed that her husband had been receiving threats before he was killed.
- Thompson’s shooting sparked support online and even led to a tasteless lookalike competition in NYC.
- A person of interest was apprehended by police officers inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa.
- The suspect has been identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, originally from Towson, Md., and a former Ivy League student who harbored animosity towards the medical community.
Follow along with The Post’s live updates on the news surrounding Brian Thompson’s murder.
Mangione was charged with murder in New York on Monday evening after Pennsylvania authorities issued charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery, and providing false identification to police earlier in the day.
Law enforcement is examining a three-page manifesto-type document that Mangione had in his possession.
The alleged manifesto contained angry remarks about “parasitic” health insurance companies, corporate greed, and power.
The Ivy League graduate allegedly wrote that the US has the most expensive healthcare system globally, with major corporations’ profits rising while life expectancy does not.
The handwritten document found with Mangione included a statement claiming that he acted alone.
“To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the document read, according to sources.
As authorities continue to investigate a possible motive for the killing, including whether a vendetta against the medical industry motivated Mangione after suffering from chronic back pain.
Mangione is currently held in a Pennsylvania facility while contesting extradition to New York.
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