Chris Rock Stuns ‘SNL’ Viewers With ‘Pathetic’ Joke About UnitedHealthcare CEO [WATCH]

Chris Rock sparked a firestorm of controversy during his recent “Saturday Night Live” monologue by addressing the tragic murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson with sharp-edged humor.

His remarks, which juxtaposed condolences with crass jokes, left audiences polarized and the internet buzzing.

“He actually killed a family, a man with kids … I have condolences for the health care CEO. This is a real person, but sometimes drug dealers get shot. You seen ‘The Wire,’ right?” Rock quipped from Studio 8H.

Celebrate Trump’s Historic 2024 Victory with the Exclusive Trump 47th President Collection!

The 59-year-old comedian’s comparison of Thompson to a drug dealer raised eyebrows, further igniting backlash.

Rock’s biting commentary continued as he shifted focus to the alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione, and society’s fascination with his looks. “I really feel sorry for the family.

I mean, everybody’s fixated on how good-looking this guy looks. If he looked like Jonah Hill, nobody would care. They would have already given him the chair and he’d be dead,” he added.

The remarks did not sit well with many viewers, some of whom expressed outrage online.

“I stopped watching after the sick joke about Brian Thompson. After feigning to offer condolences to the family of the murdered man, he made a joke about him being a drug dealer,” one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Another criticized the attempt to blend humor with tragedy, writing, “This is disgusting. The healthcare system is horrible, but murdering people on the street is evil.”

Adding to the chorus of disapproval, another commenter stated bluntly, “Joking about a murder is pathetic.” Meanwhile, some viewers took issue with Rock’s characterization of Thompson as a drug dealer, arguing that health care executives do not “deal drugs.”

“Saturday Night Live” didn’t stop at Rock’s monologue. The show dedicated further airtime to the shocking crime through a satirical sketch, featuring cast member Sarah Sherman as legal commentator Nancy Grace.

In her opening remarks, Sherman, playing Grace, declared, “It’s game over, Luigi,” to the tune of the iconic sad sound from the Super Mario Bros. video game.

Sherman’s portrayal emphasized the internet’s fixation on the accused shooter’s appearance. “It’s shocking that people are all hot and bothered by this guy. He looks like Dave Franco with Eugene Levy eyebrows,” she said. “Y’all, this man is not a sex icon. This man is — and I cannot say this any clearer — a murderer.”

Kenan Thompson joined the sketch as Donnell Davis, an unemployed man weighing in on the cultural climate.

His character remarked on how far society had fallen in its romanticization of criminals, saying, “Back in the day, you could impress your old lady with a little poem, now you got to write a manifesto.”

Thompson’s Davis added a sardonic touch with, “You know what my health insurance plan is? It’s called ‘hoping it goes away.’”

These sketches and Rock’s monologue come in the wake of a gruesome crime that has captivated national attention.

Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate, is accused of fatally shooting Brian Thompson as the CEO walked to the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.

Following the murder, Mangione led police on a five-day manhunt, culminating in his arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s after an employee recognized him and called the authorities.

Police recovered a 3D-printed pistol with a homemade silencer, a loaded Glock magazine, and multiple fake IDs from Mangione’s backpack. They also found a manifesto addressed to “the Feds,” in which Mangione accused health insurance companies of corporate greed.

Ballistics from the so-called ghost gun matched shell casings found at the crime scene, and Mangione’s fingerprints were identified on items left nearby, including a water bottle and a granola bar wrapper.

Mangione’s case has only intensified public scrutiny due to the high-profile nature of his alleged victim. Brian Thompson, 50, was not only a health care executive but also a father and husband, a fact that Rock’s humor seemed to overshadow in the eyes of many critics.

In preparation for his trial, Mangione has secured Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, a former Manhattan prosecutor, to lead his defense. Meanwhile, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that Mangione could be extradited to New York City as early as Tuesday to face murder charges.

Rock’s decision to tackle such a sensitive topic in his monologue raises questions about the limits of comedy, particularly when it intersects with real-life tragedies. While some defended the segment as a bold attempt to satirize corporate greed and societal hypocrisy, others deemed it a tasteless misstep.

The controversy underscores the enduring tension between comedy’s role as a vehicle for social critique and the risk of alienating audiences.

For Chris Rock, a comedian known for pushing boundaries, this latest performance is another instance of walking a precarious line — one that, for many viewers, may have been crossed.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.