Actor and comedian Bill Burr recently went on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! TV Show where he was, of course, interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel in his talk show format. Burr, however, has some interesting insights regarding the LA Wildfire since he was one of the fortunate survivors in the region amid the raging disaster, and the comedian even jokingly implied that Luigi Mangione might be the answer to the home insurance aftermath for the LA Wildfire.
The original topic of conversation with Jimmy Kimmel was about internet trolls and how they were “f—king idiots” who weren’t there and shouldn’t have commented about the fire. Burr then recalled that he and his household only got lucky because the winds moved. The talk segues into conspiracy theorists and how the media kept avoiding the topic of insurance companies raising housing premiums after the LA Wildfire.
To that, well, Burr jokingly calls out to “free Luigi”. Here’s the full quote,
“Then they’re talking about looting, but CNN and Fox News are not going to bring up the insurance companies that are just going to keep everybody’s premiums and still give themselves a bonus.
Yes, free Luigi!” says Bill Burr.
If you were hoping for more of a tirade, sadly neither Burr nor Kimmel have expounded on the issue. The good thing to know is that Bill Burr, who’s usually critical about lots of things, praised everyone who worked on minimizing the LA Wildfire or helping people during the disaster– except the armchair fire experts on the internet because they weren’t there.
Meanwhile, Bill Burr’s “free Luigi” joke and his comments on the struggles with insurance companies got a healthy round of applause and praise from the audience.
Why ‘Free Luigi’?
For those who are out of the loop, Luigi Mangione, the one Bill Burr was referring to in the talk show, assassinated an insurance company CEO named Brian Thompson. Thompson was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in the US, and the insurance company has been under heavy criticism for supposedly denying insurance claims.
Patients who were under UnitedHealthcare’s insurance even expressed frustration with the company for prioritizing profits over healthcare. Hence, Luigi Mangione’s assassination of Brian Thompson was often seen by the aggrieved populace as a statement against crooked insurance practices and inhumane corporations.
As for the situation on the housing insurance premiums caused by the LA Wildfire, insurers such as State Farm, AllState and Farmers, and others have already laid out their plans to raise insurance rates in California even though the LA Wildfire isn’t over yet. Consumer groups and advocates have then accused these insurers of opportunism.