Taylor Lorenz riles up Internet as she calls Luigi Mangione ‘morally good man’: ‘This is beyond vile’

WASHINGTON, DC: In a segment that's drawing fierce backlash, former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz appeared on CNN's 'MisinfoNation' on Sunday, April 13, offering a controversial defense of Luigi Mangione—the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. 

Speaking with host Donie O’Sullivan, Lorenz discussed Mangione’s growing appeal, particularly among women, as he’s become a folk hero to some on the far-left who view the killing as symbolic retaliation against the corporate healthcare industry. Critics are calling the segment "beyond vile".

Taylor Lorenz describes Luigi Mangione in glowing terms

In a viral clip circulating on X, Taylor Lorenz waxed lyrical about Luigi Mangione, saying, “Here’s this man who’s a revolutionary, who’s famous, who’s handsome, who’s young, who’s smart, he’s a person who seems like he’s this morally good man, which is hard to find." 

Host Donie O’Sullivan responded with a touch of dark humor, quipping, “Yeah, I just realized women will literally date an assassin before they swipe right on me. That’s where we’re at.”

Lorenz, known for her online controversies, had previously drawn criticism for appearing to sympathize with Mangione, 26, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan in December 2024.

In a now-infamous post, she reacted to news that Blue Cross Blue Shield would no longer cover anesthesia for the full duration of some surgeries by writing, “People wonder why we want these executives dead.”

In the latter part of the nearly two-minute interview clip, Lorenz took aim at the mainstream media, accusing it of being out of touch with public sentiment.

“It’s hilarious to see these millionaire media pundits on TV clutching their pearls about someone stanning a murderer when this is the United States of America, as if we don’t lionize criminals,” she said.

Lorenz continued, “As if we don’t stan murderers of all sorts. And we give them Netflix shows. There’s a huge disconnect between the narratives and angles a certain mainstream media pushes and what the American public feels, and you see that in moments like this.”

She also credited her sympathetic coverage of Mangione for a major surge in the readership for her Substack publication, User Mag. “I can tell you I saw the biggest audience growth that I’ve ever seen [was] because people were like, ‘oh, somebody, some journalist is actually speaking the anger I feel.’”

Taylor Lorenz sparks backlash for praising accused murderer Luigi Mangione

The nearly two-minute clip shared on X featuring Taylor Lorenz praising accused murderer Luigi Mangione quickly went viral, sparking widespread backlash and fierce criticism of CNN for what many called a "heinous" platforming of those admiring Mangione.

Conservative commentator Steve Guest slammed the network, writing, “CNN is now celebrating a fiery but mostly peaceful assassination of a husband and father."

RedState’s Bonchie added, “This is a doughy CNN correspondent nodding approvingly while a psychopath asserts it’s fine to support cold-blooded murder for political reasons. This is CNN."

Mediaite editor Isaac Schorr took aim at the segment’s credibility, commenting, “The only thing more embarrassing than being Taylor Lorenz is citing her as an authority in your show about *misinformation*. Yikes, mate.”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller simply said, “This is beyond vile. Utterly heinous.”

OutKick writer Ian Miller added, “CNN is happy to call any opinions they don’t like harmful and dangerous and now they’re doing a interview with Taylor Lorenz who openly fawns over Luigi Mangione and calls him moral. Amazing what protection having the right political ideology buys.”

The Spectator’s contributing editor Stephen Miller echoed the outrage, saying, “I think we're done here on your lectures of extremism as you sit there dodo eyed while she calls a literal assassin a moral guy.”

Actor Dean Cain summed up the mood of many critics in one word: “Disgusting.”

Taylor Lorenz clarifies her controversial remarks about alleged CEO murderer

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Taylor Lorenz clarified her controversial remarks about Luigi Mangione, explaining that her comments were meant to highlight growing concerns over the "Free Luigi" movement and the rise of violent rhetoric online.

 “I do think it's really concerning that more people are essentially participating in these movements, but also just like casually comfortable with really violent kind of rhetoric,” Lorenz said.

She acknowledged systemic issues, adding, “And obviously, our system is violent...but in normal, healthy democracies, you don't generally see people talking, sort of celebrating this kind of violence.”

Lorenz went on to describe the support for Luigi Mangione as a reflection of deeper public frustration. “This Luigi movement is sort of indicative of some of that cynicism where you're seeing people that are just really angry and upset with the system," she said.

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