Chris Rock's 'SNL' Monologue Compared UnitedHealthcare CEO to a Drug Dealer — What He Said

NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) Season 50, Episode 9, featuring Chris Rock as the host and Gracie Abrams as the musical guest, gave fans plenty to unpack. One viewer shared on Reddit that Weekend Update’s Mitch McConnell "seen here" joke made them a "happy camper," while others praised the cast for "nailing' the Secret Santa sketch. However, the show’s opener sparked even more discussion, thanks to Chris's bold commentary.

During his opening monologue, Chris dove right into the headlines, addressing Luigi Mangione, an alleged murderer turned viral sensation, who killed a man — "a real person with a family." He then seamlessly shifted to a jaw-dropping comment about UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, comparing him to a drug dealer or, at the very least, likening the health insurer’s practices to drug dealing.

Here’s exactly what Chris said that has everyone buzzing.

In the first few minutes of Chris's monologue, he began by addressing the arrest of Luigi. "We got Luigi, you know, and that’s good," he remarked. But he quickly turned to critique how many people had shifted their focus from Luigi's alleged crimes to his appearance. "If he looked like Jonah Hill, no one would care. They’d already given him the chair. But he actually killed a man. A man with a family, with kids, man," Chris emphasized.

After expressing his "condolences" for the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Chris nonchalantly dropped the line that had everyone talking: "But you also gotta go, sometimes drug dealers get shot." He added, "I mean, you’ve seen The Wire, right?" Yes, Chris we've seen The Wire, but can we really hold Brian Thompson to the same level as Bodie or Poot? Physically, no (obviously). But in terms of their dealings? Well, let’s unpack that.

Insurance companies may not handle medications directly, but they work closely with healthcare providers to approve, or deny, specific treatments and prescriptions. This means they hold significant power over what patients receive and how their care is managed.

In some cases, they might prioritize cost-effective or profit-driven options over safer or more effective medications. While not exactly "drug dealers," insurance companies could indirectly push certain medications that are less healthy, or even addictive, because they won’t approve claims for better, safer alternatives. Essentially, health insurance companies often operate with a similar disregard for patients’ well-being, focusing instead on collecting profits and minimizing their payouts.

TikToker @drglaucomflecken, a real ophthalmologist with over 2 million followers, seems to agree. In a viral video, Dr. Glaucomflecken didn’t hold back his thoughts on the healthcare industry. "I just finished dealing with an insurance thing at work and thought this was a good time to remind everybody that health insurance companies don’t care about you," he explained.

He continued, "United, Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross — all of them — they don’t care about you. They want to extract as much money as possible from your healthy body. Then, when you’re no longer healthy, they want you to die as quickly as possible to make room for other money-producing bodies."

While Chris's commentary during his SNL monologue was blunt, it’s hard to defend insurance companies, as they’re often more focused on collecting huge profits while leaving patients broke and without the full care they need.