Left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore sparked controversy by defending the anger directed at the health care industry following the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Writing on his Substack page, Moore insisted that public outrage against the system is “1000% justified” and expressed a desire to amplify it.
“I’m not going to tamp it down or ask people to shut up. I want to pour gasoline on that anger,” he stated, sharing his 2007 documentary Sicko on YouTube to highlight what he sees as corruption in the U.S. health care system. Moore accused insurance companies of causing widespread harm, writing, “These insurance corporations and their executives have more blood on their hands than a thousand 9/11 terrorists.”
Moore’s comments come in the wake of the arrest of Luigi Mangione, who was charged with murdering Thompson in Manhattan. While the crime was widely condemned, some, including Moore, appeared to sympathize with the underlying frustration fueling such violence.
Referring to the suspect’s manifesto, Moore wrote, “He references how I’ve ‘illuminated the corruption and greed,’ implying folks should go to my work to understand the complexity — and the power-hungry abuse — within our current system.”
Moore pushed back against questions about whether he condones the killing. “Hmmm. Do I condemn murder? That’s an odd question,” he wrote, pointing to his past condemnations of war and systemic violence. He reiterated his opposition to the health care system, stating, “In the United States, we have a whopping 1.4 million people employed with the job of DENYING HEALTH CARE, vs only 1 million doctors in the entire country!”
He concluded by condemning both the murder and the health care industry: “Yes, I condemn murder, and that’s why I condemn America’s broken, vile, rapacious, bloodthirsty, unethical, immoral health care industry and I condemn every one of the CEOs who are in charge of it.”
Moore’s remarks have drawn criticism for appearing to justify hostility toward health care executives in the aftermath of a violent crime.
