Does a video authentically show people in New York City celebrating the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson? No, that's not true: The video was posted online nearly two weeks ahead of the December 4, 2024, shooting death of Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. The video actually shows a street party in New York City after a concert by singer Natasha Bedingfield.
The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) published on Instagram on December 6, 2024, under the on-screen title "NYC coming together to dance in the street over the universal love of ☠️ CEOS." The video's caption said:
Nature is healing
#healthcare #insurance #ceo #nyc #dancing #celebrate #natureisbeautiful #united
This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Mon Dec 16 16:43:29 2024 UTC)
Neither the post nor the video provided any proof to support the assertion that New Yorkers were celebrating Thompson's death. The UnitedHealthcare CEO was gunned down on December 4, 2024, according to a New York Police Department briefing held that same day (archived here).
Original video
The video originally appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) published on November 21, 2024, under the on-screen title "sidewalk party after the Natasha Bedingfield concert... nyc is unparalleled." The video's caption says:
we've all got a pocketful of sunshine #nyclife #wholesome #popmusic
This is what the original Instagram post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Mon Dec 16 17:19:42 2024 UTC)
The video in both social media posts shows the same group of people dancing and singing along to Bedingfield's song "Unwritten."
The original video is embedded below:
Bedingfield took to her Instagram account (archived here) on October 2, 2024, to announce ticket sales for the New York City show at Webster Hall on November 20, 2024. A screenshot of the post is below:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Mon Dec 16 20:44:04 2024 UTC)
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Other fact check agencies have also reviewed this claim, including Snopes and USAToday.
Other Lead Stories fact checks of claims involving UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson can be found here.
