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Alexandria native goes viral for stand-up comedy about response to CEO shooting
ALEXANDRIA, La. (WNTZ) - The CEO of United HealthCare, Brian Thompson, was assassinated with a ghost gun early morning on Dec. 4 in New York. As onlookers and contrarians swiftly made their way to social media, Alexandria native Josh Johnson took the stage with another of his comically thought-provoking analyses.
This time, on the three words heard around the world: "Deny, Defend, Depose."
Currently, one of the highest trending comedians on YouTube, Johnson has over 1.8 million subscribers. In a 59-minute set titled, "The Failure, Fear, And Frenzy around Luigi Mangione," the comedian breaks down his experiential perspective on social media, American reporting and capitalist marketplace in response to the crime. Since the comedy set's premiere on Dec. 17, it has garnered over 2.4 million views on YouTube.
Johnson and his team issued the following statement in submission to the comedy set:
Hi Friends, this week I wanted to share my thoughts on everything that is going on with Luigi Mangione and UnitedHealthcare. Most people already know the story but what I think few understand is the wider context of people’s anger at health insurance companies and they’re lifting up of someone they see as a vigilante. Under Obamacare more people are insured than ever before. It getting passed meant companies could not deny you based on preexisting conditions or family history. Even with the coverage the actual likelihood of you paying into your health insurance and actually being insured when you need it is unreasonably low. Doctors, labs, and hospitals are out of network depending on who you have and whether you have Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Elevance, CVS Health, Kaiser Foundation, Humana, Centene Group, Cigna, or health care services corporation you are not immune to the possibility of having to pay more out of pocket than you can afford and being saddled with bills you have to fight with your insurance provider over. All of us have to figure out a way forward. Some believe that it will be through legislation that curbed insurance companies' ability to deny and delay claims until the problem, or the person, goes away. Luigi has been hailed or condemned on Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook by what feels like everyone in the United States. If you love my stories, I have a podcast that comes out every week: https://bit.ly/3NQmpio.
The highly responsive crowd to Johnson's poignant storytelling and perspective led to his recent on-air debut on the Daily Show, which he also writes for. With over 800K followers on Instagram, 1.7M followers on TikTok, and an upcoming comedy tour, which will see Shreveport and New Orleans in March 2025, it is likely we will be seeing much more of Alexandria's storyteller, Josh Johnson.
To learn more about Josh Johnson, visit his website.