Known for his outspoken opinions, podcast host Joe Rogan is boldly criticizing the insurance industry in the aftermath of the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Thompson was gunned down outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan last Wednesday. On Monday, following a five-day manhunt, Luigi Mangione was taken into custody in connection with the shooting.
Rogan discussed the incident with filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and producer Roger Avary in the Tuesday episode of his podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience," which was taped before Mangione was arrested.
He slammed the insurance industry's focus on profit at the expense of people, describing it as "gross."
"It's a dirty, dirty business. The business of insurance is f--king gross," he said. "Especially health care insurance. It's f--king gross."
Rogan also hypothesized about Mangione motive saying, "I don't think this guy was a professional. I think this guy, if I had to guess, [is] some guy [who] got f--ked over."
"Apparently, that company is really bad on denying claims," he added.
Research firm ValuePenguin found that UnitedHealthcare denies about one-third of claims, the highest denial rate among all health insurance companies surveyed.
Mangione, 26, is currently being held in Pennsylvania and fighting extradition to New York, where he has been charged with Thompson's murder. His attorneys say they "haven't seen any evidence" linking Mangione to the crime.
At the time of Mangione's arrest, he was reportedly carrying a manifesto-type document that included remarks about "parasitic" health insurance companies.
Meantime, investigators have reportedly found fingerprint evidence connecting Mangione to the murder.
In New York, Mangione is facing one count of murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.