Controversy erupted following a segment of Saturday Night Live’s "Weekend Update" this weekend, as the audience cheered after host Colin Jost mentioned Luigi Mangione -- the prime suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
During the segment, Jost began discussing Mangione, but the crowd’s enthusiastic reaction interrupted him before he could finish.
Looking visibly uncomfortable, Jost responded sarcastically: “You’re wooing for justice, right?”
The moment has sparked backlash, with prominent figures like Piers Morgan and Jennifer Sey taking to social media to criticize the audience and the show’s handling of the reaction.
“So disgusting… and Colin Jost just smirks away as if it’s all one big giggle. Shameful moment for SNL,” Morgan wrote on X.
Author and business executive Jennifer Sey also condemned the reaction, writing on X: “The SNL audience must be the dumbest group of pathetic woke conformists known to man.
"Here they cheer for a silver spoon/trust funder murdering a stranger with some deranged Robin Hood ‘I’m a hero’ story. Audience is moronic. And evil.”
Criticism from right-wing voices has also emerged. Stephen Miller, a former advisor to Donald Trump, shared the video on X with the caption, “Revolting. Sickening. Vile.”
Media Fascination with Luigi Mangione
The uproar underscores a broader cultural fixation on Mangione, who has gained notoriety since his arrest. With an Ivy League background and a manifesto criticizing the healthcare industry’s policies, Mangione has become a polarizing figure, drawing both public fascination and condemnation.
This isn’t the first time SNL has referenced Mangione. Last week, cast member Sarah Sherman joked during a segment: “Y’all psychos find him a sex symbol… He has women and gay guys hot and bothered.”
Mangione remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center, and today (December 23) entered a 'not guilty' plea in a Manhattan court.
Public and Cultural Reactions
The audience’s reaction during the latest SNL episode has prompted a wider conversation about how media and audiences are engaging with Thompson's killing - with the lack of public empathy being a huge talking point.
Despite carrying out what police have described as a "premeditated, preplanned, and targeted" attack, Mangione has received praise from social media users.
One star who has attempted to weigh-in on this reaction is comedian and actor Bill Burr.
Burr shared his thoughts on the tragic death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson during the latest episode of his podcast, Anything Better?, which he co-hosts with fellow comedian Paul Virzi.
Burr began by reflecting on the way Thompson has been portrayed in the media, saying: “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.’ 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.”
The comedian referenced a Department of Justice investigation into Thompson for alleged insider trading, tying it to his broader critique of corporate behavior.
“They’re gangsters dude, f**king gangsters,” Burr continued. “And then when one of them gets whacked or something they’re like, ‘Oh my god he was such a good guy.’ It’s a dirty game.”
"Why is there this level of coverage? Somebody gets gunned down in New York every f**king day, now all of a sudden these experts have to weigh in? That’s because of the status, we can’t have white guys in suits getting whacked."
Additionally, Burr called out news corporations such as CNN and Fox News for their "surprised" reaction that "people don't like CEOs".
For now, Mangione’s future will be decided in court, but the debate around last night’s SNL segment is far from over.
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