Enzo Iacchetti sparks outrage after saying he wants to see Health Minister Schillaci die waiting for a CT scan

The event

On 22 July 2026, during the "Naturalmente Pianoforte" festival in Pratovecchio, a town in the province of Arezzo, comedian and Striscia la Notizia host Enzo Iacchetti took the stage in a conversation with journalist Andrea Scanzi. Iacchetti, who described himself as a "communist militant" and held up former PCI secretary Enrico Berlinguer as his ideal, launched into a series of biting "dreams" about members of the Italian government.

The remarks

Iacchetti imagined Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini stuck on a Frecciarossa high-speed train between Florence and Bologna, in 40-degree heat with no air conditioning. He pictured General Roberto Vannacci, leader of Futuro Nazionale, paving roads at night in 40-degree temperatures and picking tomatoes in Puglia in August for one euro net per hour, adding that he never sees "a white person" doing such work. The most incendiary passage targeted Health Minister Orazio Schillaci. Iacchetti said he wanted to see the minister go to a hospital needing a CT scan or MRI, be told the first available appointment is in eight months, and then "die first, as happens in many cases here."

I want to see the Health Minister go to a hospital, need a CT scan, need an MRI, and be told 'sorry, the first available is in eight months'. And I want to see him die first, as happens in many cases here.

Iacchetti also criticised singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori for suggesting artists should not take political stances, and reiterated his opposition to the government's support for Israel in the Gaza conflict. He did not spare Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, though the exact words were not reported in detail.

Political backlash

The remarks drew immediate condemnation from across the political spectrum. Italia Viva deputy Daniela Sbrollini expressed solidarity with Schillaci, stating that Iacchetti had "really gone too far" and that the tones went beyond legitimate criticism or artistic provocation. Fratelli d'Italia senator Gianni Berrino called the death wish a gesture that "poisons public debate and risks fuelling a climate of hatred and tension." Berrino explicitly linked the episode to the street clashes that occurred in Bologna in recent hours, arguing that public figures with large visibility should contribute to lowering tensions, not inflaming them.

Expressing dissent is a right, but wishing death on a minister of the Republic is a gesture that poisons public debate and risks fuelling a climate of hatred and tension.

Apology and past controversies

Later on 22 July, Iacchetti posted a message on social media addressed directly to Schillaci, insisting he had never wished for the minister's death and that his words were merely a "gag." The episode adds to a series of controversies involving the comedian. In September 2025, during a broadcast of È sempre Cartabianca, he clashed with Eyal Mizrahi, president of the Federation of Friends of Israel, over the war in Gaza; the confrontation escalated after Mizrahi asked "define child" in the context of Palestinian casualties. In November 2025, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities filed a complaint alleging that some of Iacchetti's statements contributed to demonising Israel and the Jewish people, accusations he denied and said he would contest in the appropriate venues.