Of Course There Was a UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooter Lookalike Contest — Were There Any Winners?

It all started with a flyer announcing an odd, yet delightful event. When it comes to having something to do, a city like New York boasts thousands of options. From classic tourist haunts like Times Square or Broadway, to strange curiosities like The Evolution Store, the city that never sleeps also never stops. It's hard to capture one's attention when there are so many options, unless one of those options is a Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest.

In October 2024, thousands flocked to Washington Square Park in order to see who was the best doppelganger of the Dune star. What made this contest even more special was the appearance of Timothée himself. Similar versions popped up all over the world with different actors taking center stage. Then in November 2024, the beloved competition took a dark turn when a UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter lookalike contest popped up.

On Dec. 4, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed while walking to the annual investors meeting at a Hilton Hotel in New York City. Police believe it was a targeted attack, a theory that has been supported by the fact that the shooter had written the words deny, defend, and depose on the shell casings. It didn't take long for images of the alleged gunman to go viral, mostly because social media reacted in a rather unorthodox way.

Not only have people celebrated Thompson's death, but they have turned his killer into a folk hero of sorts. Based on the few images we've seen, some even find him attractive. This bizarre cocktail is undoubtedly the cause of the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter lookalike contest, which was held in Washington Square Park a few days after Thompson's murder. It was documented by @taliaotg on X (formerly Twitter) and was much smaller than the Timothée Chalamet event.

This was also different from the Timothée contest in that the real UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter did not show up, that we know of. There were definitely plenty of hooded sweatshirts or jackets, paired with face masks, and backpacks. In one of the videos, Talia encouraged a passerby to join in who yelled, "I just have a f-----g green bag!" That was all this person needed to enter.

When asked by Talia who the organizer is, someone joked, "The FBI!" We may never know who actually got the ball rolling, but we do know there was a winner. Obviously, the only fair way to crown a victor was via audience cheers, which is how we landed on one gentleman who seemed just as baffled as everyone else. He doesn't know who brought him there on that day but did say it was the "beginning of a long tradition."

After thanking the academy for recognizing his talent, the mystery contest winner took things to a more serious place. He talked about reading an article online the day after the shooting occurred, which highlighted the fact that over "150 million people have mental illnesses because of lead in gasoline, in Generation X ... and no one on the news cares about it."

He bemoaned the fact that no one cares about stories like that, and the only reason why it was happening is because corporations were more interested in making money versus helping people. Regarding what happened to Brian Thompson, and the world in general, this man thinks people are tired and they just want their government to work for them, not against them.