Hasan Piker sparks backlash with Luigi Mangione remarks, claims slain CEO engaged in ‘social murder’

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Hasan Piker stirred more controversy in a recent New York Times interview in which he addressed the Luigi Mangione case and the December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Mangione is accused of murdering Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, as the healthcare CEO was on his way to a medical conference. He is facing both state and federal charges, and his federal trial was recently delayed until October. Mangione’s state trial is expected to begin on Sept. 8.

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Luigi Mangione standing in a courtroom during a hearing

Piker, a controversial Twitch streamer, said that the American people “understand” why Thompson was killed and accused the slain CEO of committing “social murder.”

“Friedrich Engels wrote about the concept of social murder. And Brian Thompson, as the UnitedHealthcare CEO, was engaging in a tremendous amount of social murder,” Piker said during an appearance on The New York Times podcast “The Opinions.”

“And that was a fascinating story for me, because Americans are very Draconian about crime and punishment. They’re very black and white on this issue. And yet, because of the pervasive pain that the private health care system had created for the average American, I saw so many people immediately understand why this death had taken place,” he added.

Piker argued that the pain associated with private healthcare costs was so “universalized” that “virtually every American had a similar experience.” He then said too many Americans had seen loved ones spending their last days on the phone with healthcare providers trying to find ways to not pass the debt to the next generation.

“That’s a harrowing process for a lot of people. And for them, that is murder; for them, that is torture. And that is the reason why, I think, the reaction to Luigi Mangione, especially by younger generations, was not so negative,” Piker said.

Hasan Piker speaking at a press conference at Web Summit Qatar in Doha

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In the same “The Opinions” interview, Piker also sparked backlash when he stated that he was “pro-piracy” and “pro stealing from big corporations because they steal quite a bit more from their own workers.”

The New York Times interview was not the first platform where Piker has addressed the Mangione case. When reacting to Mangione’s arrest, Piker referred to the suspect as “our boy” and said that the perp walk made him “look sick as f–k,” according to a clip of the stream posted on TikTok.

Luigi Mangione shouting while officers restrain him outside Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania

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A 2025 article in the New Yorker also noted that Piker said Mangione was “hotter” than him. The article stated that he repeatedly said that he did not condone violence.

Fox News Digital reached out to Piker’s representatives for comment.

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