Comedian Tim Dillon appeared as the “ghost” of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Netflix’s “Torching 2024: A Roast of the Year” on Friday — less than a month after the executive was gunned down in Manhattan.
Dillon, 39, dressed similarly to a widely shared photo of Thompson in a navy blue pullover, a light blue collar shirt stained with blood, tan khakis, and wrapped in chains when he hit the dimly lit circular stage at The Bellwether in Los Angeles.
The New York native donned ghoulish gray makeup on his face and was met with a mixture of nervous laughter and cheers.
Dillon quickly leaned into the bit without reserve, introducing himself as the dead executive to the audience in front of a large sign that read, “UnitedHellcare CEO.”
“I’m going to hell for this, you might as well laugh,” Dillon said.
He immediately addressed the elephant in the room, saying, as Thompson, that he’s been in hell reading the “tweets” that a lot of people are “happy” he’s dead.
“Your reaction to my murder makes me sick… and not the type of sick I would immediately deny for not having the proper paperwork,” the comedian said, taking a jab at UnitedHealthcare’s track record of denying its policy members.
Analysis of 2023 federal data shows that UnitedHealthcare leads in in-network claim denials on Affordable Care Act exchanges, rejecting nearly one-third of claims, according to personal finance website ValuePenguin.”
Continuing his portrayal of Thompson, Dillon’s jokes about the healthcare company received some outright groans of shock mixed with laughter for some of his raunchy material.
“The truth is, without people like me, f–king over people like you, to help people like me, this country would fall apart and that’s on you,” the comic said.
He then targeted accused assassin Luigi Mangione, who pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in a Manhattan courtroom Monday.
“Look at yourselves dancing in the streets because that guy Tortellini Mozzarella took me by surprise like an unexpected medical bill and shot me in the back,” Dillon quipped. “Apparently he had his own back problems. I’m sorry Luigi but nobody feels bad for a thin guy with back problems. Claim denied!”
As the bit came to a close, Dillon, as Thompson, had one final message for the crowd: “Deny, defend, decompose!” — a play off the phrase “Deny Defend Depose” which Mangione allegedly scribbled onto his bullet casings.
The “Torching 2024: A Roast of the Year” was hosted by comedian Jeff Ross and featured actor John Stamos and fellow comics Mark Normand and Sam Morril.
Dillon teased his set days before it premiered on Netflix, telling fans, “I promise you this is as tasteless as it looks.”
Mangione, 26, allegedly killed Thompson in broad daylight outside a midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4. He was busted at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., on Dec. 9.
While waiting to be extradited to New York, the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer received more than 140 messages during his brief stint behind bars in Pennsylvania, including some from drooling groupies and adoring admirers.
An Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Baltimore family, authorities said Mangione planned the murder months in advance over a gripe with the “parasitic” health insurance industry.
