Taylor Lorenz, the high-profile tech journalist formerly of The Washington Post and Vox Media, has found herself at the center of yet another media firestorm following her comments about the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Lorenz’s remarks, which appeared to sympathize with public outrage against healthcare executives, have cost her a distribution partnership with Vox Media, marking another abrupt career shift for the embattled reporter.
The controversy erupted after Lorenz penned an essay for her newsletter, User Mag, in which she sought to contextualize—and, critics say, justify—the wave of dark humor and public anger surrounding Thompson’s death.
“If you have watched a loved one die because an insurance conglomerate has denied their life-saving treatment as a cost-cutting measure, yes, it’s natural to wish that the people who run such conglomerates would suffer the same fate,” Lorenz wrote.
Lorenz’s essay, titled Why “We” Want Insurance Executives Dead, tapped into frustrations with the U.S. healthcare system. She cited data showing UnitedHealthcare denies an outsized percentage of claims—32%, double the industry average—and highlighted the personal toll of such practices. “People have very justified hatred toward insurance company CEOs because these executives are responsible for an unfathomable amount of death and suffering,” she wrote.
Vox has decided to part ways with Taylor Lorenz, who also recently left the Washington Post. Lmao.
Lorenz recently agreed with the taking out of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. This decision was reportedly made “before” she endorsed the k*lling.
Where is she to go next? pic.twitter.com/Jjsv0qxFdV
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 9, 2024
The essay included firsthand accounts from patients and families affected by UnitedHealthcare denials, lending weight to Lorenz’s argument. Still, critics contend that framing such frustrations amid a real-life tragedy was, at best, tone-deaf.
On Saturday, Lorenz reaffirmed her stance, stating she supported those calling for the execution of healthcare CEOs.
“I’m gonna say, I’m with the people in the sense that if you have watched a loved one die because insurance has denied their lifesaving essential healthcare, it is natural to wish that the people who run those systems would suffer the same fate as your loved one,” she told TMZ. “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.”
Thompson, 50, was fatally shot Wednesday outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where UnitedHealthcare was holding an investor event. Police believe the attack was targeted. Online reactions were immediate and, in some corners, celebratory. The piece triggered a backlash across the media landscape. Fox News criticized Lorenz for “appearing to endorse violence” and called her essay inflammatory. Others accused her of exploiting a tragedy to advance her critique of the American healthcare system.
