Bill Burr is holding steadfast in his support of Luigi Mangione.
A viral clip from the 2025 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony shows a reporter pressing the comedian about advocating for Mangione and declaring, “Free Luigi” earlier this year.
“I don’t think you read up on it because I said what I felt about it, and I said what a lot of people said,” Burr said. He then said he wasn’t going to help her create “some controversial moment so [she] can get clicks.”
“I’m here for Conan,” he said of his friend who was being honored at the ceremony. “I’m not doing all of this. What are you gonna bring up next? The Middle East? I went to summer school three out of four years in high school. I’m not qualified to talk about this.”
Other reporters then jumped into the conversation to ask Burr about other news topics, including Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s relationship.
“I don’t watch the news!” he replied, bluntly. “I have no idea what’s going on.” He then explained that he spends his time watching funny videos online and that he doesn’t have the qualifications to discuss politics.
“I don’t think you should be asking a comedian. You’re a journalist,” he said. “You guys used to have balls. You need to get your balls back. And it’s not my job. I am a dancing clown.”
In January, Burr sat down with Jimmy Kimmel, where they discussed the Los Angeles wildfires and how health insurance companies profit from natural disasters. The topic then shifted from home insurance to health insurance as Burr said, “Free Luigi!”
He echoed the same sentiment in an interview with Variety that month, where he said he doesn’t think CEOs learned anything since Thompson was fatally shot.
“The funny thing when that CEO got whacked was watching CEOs have to be uncomfortable,” he said. “I’m sure they didn’t learn anything, but it’s like: This is how you make everybody feel day to day as you apply pressure because ‘that’s how business is done.’ How you leave this burning wreckage of destroyed lives as you ‘restructure’ and ‘consolidate.’ It was fun to see them worry.”
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple state and federal charges in the murder of Thompson. Earlier this week, the attorney general urged prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the 26-year-old.
Bill Burr is holding steadfast in his support of Luigi Mangione. A viral clip from the 2025 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony shows a reporter pressing the comedian about advocating for Mangione and declaring "Free Luigi" earlier this year. "I don’t think you read up on it because I said what I felt about it, and I said what a lot of people said," Burr said. He then said he wasn’t going to help her create "some controversial moment so [she can get clicks." ] "I’m here for Conan," he said of his friend who was being honored at the ceremony. "I’m not doing all of this. What are you gonna bring up next? The Middle East? I went to summer school three out of four years in high school. I’m not qualified to talk about this."
Other reporters then jumped into the conversation to ask Burr about other news topics, including Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s relationship. "I don’t watch the news!" he replied, bluntly. "I have no idea what’s going on." He then explained that he spends his time watching funny videos online and that he doesn’t have the qualifications to discuss politics. "I don’t think you should be asking a comedian. You’re a journalist," he said. "You guys used to have balls. You need to get your balls back. And it’s not my job. I am a dancing clown." In January, Burr sat down with Jimmy Kimmel, where they discussed the Los Angeles wildfires and how health insurance companies profit from natural disasters. The topic then shifted from home insurance to health insurance as Burr said, "Free Luigi!"
He echoed the same sentiment in an interview with Variety that month, where he said he doesn’t think CEOs learned anything since Thompson was fatally shot. "The funny thing when that CEO got whacked was watching CEOs have to be uncomfortable," he said. "I’m sure they didn’t learn anything, but it’s like: This is how you make everybody feel day to day as you apply pressure because ‘that’s how business is done.’ How you leave this burning wreckage of destroyed lives as you ‘restructure’ and ‘consolidate.’ It was fun to see them worry." Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple state and federal charges in the murder of Thompson. Earlier this week, the attorney general urged prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the 26-year-old.