British journalist Piers Morgan clashed with left-wing journalist Taylor Lorenz during his podcast on Monday. The heated exchange arose over the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Lorenz appeared to smirk while discussing the alleged assassin, Luigi Mangione, detained earlier that day.
Morgan accused Lorenz of finding the situation humorous. She denied this, stating, “I don’t find it funny that tens of thousands of Americans die every year because they are denied life-saving health care from people like the CEO.” She added that while vigilante justice isn’t the answer, the incident brought needed attention to America’s healthcare system.
Lorenz further defended her stance. “It’s a good thing this murder has made media elites and politicians pay attention,” she said. “You don’t understand this reaction because you haven’t experienced the American healthcare system like millions of others have.”
Morgan countered, asserting he had dealt with the system. He then brought in Republican commentator Tomi Lahren, who criticized Lorenz for “celebrating” the murder and called out liberals for endorsing “political violence.”
Morgan pressed Lorenz, saying, “Taylor, I don’t mean to be rude, but why the fuck are you laughing all the time?” He apologized for his language but insisted her reaction was baffling.
Lorenz responded, blaming the system. “I am laughing at Tomi’s insane mischaracterization of why people are angry. This isn’t about Occupy Wall Street. It’s about the thousands of innocent Americans murdered by our barbaric for-profit healthcare system.”
She acknowledged the murder wasn’t a solution but remained firm. “While I am joyful this issue has been brought to attention, it doesn’t fix the systemic problem. UnitedHealthcare will appoint another ghoulish CEO, and the cycle continues.”
The controversy around Lorenz deepened following disparaging comments she made about Thompson on X, formerly Twitter. In a now-deleted tweet responding to a retracted Blue Cross policy, she wrote, “And people wonder why we want these executives dead.”
Shortly after, Vox Media announced Lorenz would no longer work for them, stating her contract wouldn’t be renewed. The decision came after Lorenz tweeted the name and photo of Blue Cross’s CEO in the wake of Thompson’s death, though Vox claimed it wasn’t connected to her posts.