Bill Burr has taken aim at self-appointed online “fire experts” and insurance companies in the wake of the devastating Los Angeles fires.
The stand-up comedian, 56, was appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night (January 14).
Burr confirmed to Kimmel that he had been forced to evacuate his home, but that he “got lucky” because the “fires moved.”
He went on to praise firefighting efforts, saying: “I think everybody did a great job.”
Burr continued: “Unlike the internet, you know? Oh my god, all of these ‘fire experts.’”
In a mocking tone he went on: “‘Why don’t you just fly a helicopter into the ocean?’ I don’t know, because there were 100 knot winds… you want to do that at night, you f***ing lunatic?”
“‘This was definitely mismanaged!’ Like some f***ing idiot on the internet knows how to manage the worst fire in LA, sitting there in his underwear. ‘You know what, looking at the footage on the internet I have determined that this here was mismanaged.’”
Kimmel reminded Burr that the comedian had previously revealed he bought a helicopter in case “all hell broke loose in LA.” Asked if he’d considered using the vehicle to escape, Burr responded: “The error in my thought was I didn’t realize how expensive helicopters were, so all I have is a two-seater and I didn’t want to have to make Sophie’s Choice with my family, so we all piled into the SUV like everybody else.”
Burr then turned the conversation to how “all the chatter out there is about bands of illegal immigrants and homeless people lighting fires. They’re lighting fires every day, they’re living outside! It’s f***ing cold!”
He continued: “They’re talking about looting, but CNN and Fox News are not going to bring up the insurance companies that are just going to keep everybody’s premiums and still give themselves a bonus.”
As the audience applauded his point, Burr shouted: “Free Luigi!”
The comedian went on to say that he loved “how they acted surprised” by the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by alleged killer Luigi Mangione. “‘Uh, why did that happen?’ He wrote on the bullets why it happened!”
“Oh, we’re back to Luigi,” said Kimmel.
“I never left Luigi!” replied Burr.
Last month, Burr shared his unfiltered thoughts following the shooting of Thompson.
“I was sitting there reading an article and a guy was like, ‘Oh my god, he’s such a great guy. He had a wife and kids, and he’s such a great guy,’” Burr said on a podcast. “And then you find out, he and the other guys he’s working for are getting sued for $121 million for dumping a stock and not letting the other people know.”
“It’s like, there’s your motive,” Burr continued. “They’re gangsters, dude. And then one of them gets whacked or something, they’re like, ‘I was good, he was such a good guy.’
“It’s a dirty game, Paul — healthcare,” he added. “Dirty game.”
