Lexi Alexander, an Oscar-nominated film director, has refused to apologise for mocking the murder of Bank of America executive Erin Piacenti and instead said the backlash has boosted her career, bringing offers of scripts, meetings and podcast appearances. Alexander sparked outrage after sharing an image referencing Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing a healthcare insurance boss, apparently to celebrate Piacenti's death, then admitted she had not known Piacenti was a junior branch manager who had just returned from maternity leave when she was killed.

Piacenti, 32, was fatally stabbed in a random attack in Times Square by a woman with mental health issues, on the day she returned to work after maternity leave. Alexander, 52, best known for directing Green Street Hooligans, said she kept the post online because it drew attention to her calls for a boycott of Bank of America over its ties to Israel, and claimed the outrage against her was driven by an Israeli "bot farm". She said the surge of press interest had made her newly "relevant" after a quiet period, while lamenting that her comments on Palestine had never attracted similar coverage.