Taylor Lorenz has doubled down on her unsympathetic comments she made about the death of UnitedHeath’s CEO, but clarified that she does not condone murder.
The former Washington Post journalist sparked outrage after she appeared to celebrate Brian Thompson being gunned down in Manhattan on Wednesday.
Lorenz has since defended her sentiment in an interview with TMZ amid the backlash, telling critics it’s important to consider context.
‘Let me just be super clear. No, we should not murder CEOs. No, we should not go around shooting people in the street. That is the wrong lesson to take from this,’ Lorenz said.
She said her social media posts aligned with the beliefs of America’s masses.
‘When you see the entire internet, left and right, united around one thing, and that is celebrating the death of a healthcare CEO, you have to ask why.
‘UnitedHealthcare has murdered thousands of Americans by denying them coverage.
Journalist Taylor Lorenz has sparked outrage after she appeared to support the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside Manhattan’s Hilton Hotel on Wednesday
‘It is natural to wish people who run those systems would suffer the same fate as your loved one,’ she asserted, justifying why people are ‘celebrating’ Thompson’s murder.
‘It feels like a victory, it feels like somebody stood but to this barbaric, evil, cruel, violent, system.’
She told TMZ that she did not mean to give an impression she was supportive of the actions of a life being taken, but also doubled down on her indifference.
‘Am I going to shed tears or have a lot of empathy for somebody that has facilitated the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans through intentionally denying them coverage? I am not going to weep over it.’
Pointing out what she saw as a positive outcome of the murder, Lorenz said the situation has brought much-needed attention to an issue affecting millions of people.
She also wrote about being criticized in her UserMag column.
In a piece titled ‘Why “we” want insurance executives dead,’ she claimed ‘the mainstream media began pearl clutching in outrage’ in reaction to her comments.
Lorenz, who has previously written for the New York Times, issued a series of controversial posts on Bluesky shortly after Thompson was assassinated.
Lorenz shared a series of social media posts about ‘why we want these executives dead’
Lorenz clarified why she made social media posts seemingly celebrating the murder
‘Woke up to see this spammed in my group chats,’ Lorenz wrote alongside a celebratory image that read, ‘CEO DOWN.’
‘People have very justified hatred toward insurance company CEOs because these executives are responsible for an unfathomable amount of death and suffering,’ she wrote on a different post.
‘As someone against death and suffering, I think it’s good to call out this broken system and the ppl in power who enable it.’
In one shocking post, Lorenz shared a news report about Blue Cross Blue Shield announcing they would not cover anesthesia for the full length of certain surgeries in some states.
Lorenz then added the information and picture of Blue Cross CEO Kim Keck in an apparent attempt to send an online mob in the medical executive’s direction, before insisting she only wanted people to write in ‘peacefully’ to complain.
She wrote: ‘And people wonder why we want these executives dead. Healthcare is a human right. We need universal healthcare now.’
Lorenz continued sharing her thoughts, defending her hatred of health care CEOs as her comments went viral.
Lorenz attempted to send an online mob in Kim Keck’s direction while sharing a series of controversial posts
‘Austen Rief seems to be attempting to manufacture an outrage campaign over a journalist posting about the sentiment surrounding a viral news event,’ she replied to an X user that noted she appeared to be celebrating Thompson’s murder.
When another social media user accused her of celebrating murder, Lorenz went on, writing: ‘Murder like what happens every year to thousands of innocent Americans killed by greedy insurance executives denying their coverage?’
It’s not the first time Lorenz is in hot water over her social media activity. Her tenures at both The New York Times and the Washington Post were mired by her online scandals.
Lorenz left mainstream media recently to go independent, which means she is no longer subject to the social media rules upheld by traditional media outlets.
The move came after editors at the Washington Post had been concerned with her calling Joe Biden a ‘war criminal’ on social media.
Earlier this week, Lorenz was relentlessly mocked online after she said those who refused to wear masks were ‘raw-dogging the air.’
‘I love when ppl find photos where my mask is off for 5 seconds outside for a photo at my book party where every single attendee had to PCR test, as some kind of gotcha,’ she raged.
‘Planning a COVID safe book launch took months and THOUSANDS of my own dollars ensuring testing, outdoor space, far UV lights, and a litany of other precautions.
‘Meanwhile u dumb f***s are out raw dogging the air and spewing ur disease laden breath all over ur elderly neighbors. We are not the same.’
Lorenz’s comments about Thomson came as investigators are searching for clues that could help them identify the masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies, then disappeared into Central Park.
Police have used drones, helicopters and dogs in an intense search, but the killer’s whereabouts remain unknown as of Thursday morning.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that while investigators had not yet established a motive, the shooting was no random act of violence.
Police issued several surveillance images of Thompson’s assassin, who wore a hooded jacket and a mask that concealed most of his face and wouldn’t have attracted attention on a frigid winter day.
Some of the photos were taken at a Starbucks coffee shop shortly before the shooting.
It’s not the first time Lorenz is in hot water over her social media activity. Her tenures at both The New York Times and the Washington Post were mired by her online scandals
The police department offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Officials are looking into whether the killer fled on an unmarked e-bike, and not a Citi Bike, as authorities had preciously said.
Cops have yet to offer any further detail on where the assassin might be.
But NYPD officials say they don’t believe he is any threat to the public given the targeted nature of the attack on Thompson.
‘Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,’ the insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., said in a statement.
‘We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.’