Oliver Defends Murderer Citing Anger at UnitedHealthcare

HBO host John Oliver has sparked controversy after praising admitted murderer Luigi Mangione on his show Last Week Tonight. Mangione pleaded guilty to murdering UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson in 2024, but Oliver justified the love for the killer by saying that people have righteous anger at UnitedHealthcare over its insurance business practices.

Oliver claimed that many Americans are furious with UnitedHealthcare due to its control of America's healthcare and its policies, which he says often deny coverage and make it seem like having insurance is not worth it. He cited the case of a woman with cervical cancer whose proton therapy treatment was denied by the insurance company because it didn't meet their criteria for the 'standard of care'.

Oliver also called for universal healthcare in the US, comparing it to Canada's government-run system, where patients are euthanized when the system finds it inconvenient to care for them.

In his defense of Mangione, Oliver said that people can't be completely condemned due to their anger towards UnitedHealthcare and its policies. He added that 'telling UnitedHealthcare to go fuck itself has become an entire genre of internet video'.

Oliver's comments have been met with criticism from many who see his defense of a murderer as unjustifiable.