In the aftermath of the horrific cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in New York City, one style of reaction was widely (and correctly) condemned: the rush to excuse, explain, and even celebrate the premeditated murder of a 50-year-old husband and father of two as some sort of political response.
“This is not to say that an act of violence is justified, but…” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said.
“The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the health care system,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said.
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“I felt, along with so many other Americans, joy … ” journalist Taylor Lorenz said.
Yes, joy.
Now, these responses have largely been rejected by a society that still understands the true horror of this crime, with particular scorn reserved for Lorenz. But while Lorenz’s joy has been condemned as disgusting, bordering on evil, we must understand that she’s not alone in finding joy in this crime.
Yet Lorenz has been singled out not because of her rhetoric alone, but because she failed to hide her celebration of Thompson’s murder behind a thin veil of comedy. I’m not just talking about the predictable torrent of social media memes, many of them starring Nintendo characters in reference to the murderer’s name, or even the viral fake post from Burger King reading, “We don’t snitch.”
I’m talking about ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel, who somehow remains employed as a host of a supposedly comedic late-night show despite being about as funny as a cold sore at a wedding.
“I would visit him in prison! And bake him cookies, maybe. Perhaps more… ” Kimmel said. “I’m about to be a jailhouse bride!”
Who is Kimmel talking about? Brian Thompson’s suspected murderer.
In 2017, comedy was nowhere to be seen when the same Kimmel — who, like Thomson, is a father of two children — broke down in tears during a monologue discussing his son’s heart condition. Unlike Thompson, Kimmel’s children still have a father: a father who is not wasting time shedding one of his many tears on the Thompson family, who have been torn apart by an act of cold-blooded terrorism.
This isn’t a call for censorship. People, and especially comedians, have a right to joke about whatever they want. If you want to joke about 9/11 or the Holocaust or the recent murder of a father of two, be my guest. But we also don’t have to sit around and pretend that it’s normal, or acceptable, or indicative of a healthy society.
We don’t have to laugh.
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In many ways, comedy is our society’s only working weather vane, allowing us to gauge our relationship with the moral line between good and evil. And if the execution of an American citizen on the streets of New York City is now joke fodder for late-night hacks because of some misguided opinions on the American healthcare system, then we’re about as far from that moral line as Kimmel is from talent.
Rest in peace, Brian Thompson. I’m sorry people find your death so amusing.
Ian Haworth is a columnist, speaker, and podcast host. You can find him on Substack and follow him on X at @ighaworth.