Saturday Night Live jumped right into the top story this week: the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the internet’s obsession with his killer.
The NBC sketch comedy show kicked off its cold open spoofing Nancy Grace’s show Crime Stories, where she dives deep into shocking crimes. And the crime that has been dominating the news this week was the murder of the insurance company CEO. Thompson was shot and killed in midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4, and after a multiday manhunt, his killer, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was arrested on Dec. 9 in Pennsylvania. He has been charged with murder and is currently fighting extradition to New York City.
“The masked CEO shooter has been unmasked and guess what? It’s game over, Luigi,” Sarah Sherman’s Nancy Grace says. “And of course, everyone online celebrated the hard work of law enforcement in apprehending this dangerous criminal. Just kidding, y’all suckas made him a sex symbol. That’s right, the healthcare assassin Luigi Mangione has got women and gay guys alike hot and bothered.”
Since Mangione’s photo was revealed to the public, social media has been in a frenzy over his appearance, with some already fan-casting the suspect for a potential movie.
Sherman’s Nancy continued, “I mean, seriously? This guy looks like Dave Franco with Eugene Levy’s eyebrows. I mean, what is going on in this country? Y’all, this man is not a sex icon, OK? This man is, and I cannot say this any clearer, a MURDER!”
She later brought out a man, Kenan Thompson’s Darnell Davis, who was at the Pennsylvania McDonald’s where Mangione was ultimately arrested.
“Now, Darnell, you were face to face with this criminal. Can you believe people are attracted to this sexy slayer?” Sherman’s Nancy asks.
“I mean, you could look at him and tell he had hoes. Women love bad boys,” Thompson quips. “You know, back in the day you could impress your old lady with a little poem. Now you gotta write a manifesto.”
Sherman’s Nancy lastly interviews “someone who has been affected closely by the story”: a guy who looks similar to Mangione.
“This whole thing’s been a roller coaster for me,” Emil Wakim says. “On one hand, I keep getting tackled by bounty hunters, but on the other hand, I’ve gotten some of the horniest DMs of my life. I mean, I haven’t paid for a meal in Brooklyn in days.”
The SNL cold open also mocked the jarring experience of watching a YouTube video and ad breaks hit mid-sentence.
Chris Rock also returned to host the sketch comedy show for the fourth time. He was previously a castmember from 1990 to 1993, and also hosted in 1996, 2014 and 2020.
The actor-comedian kicked off his opening monologue also talking about the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder. “There’s a lot going on in the news. My God, it’s so crazy out there,” Rock says. “It was so hard just getting in the building tonight. So much security. My God, I had to walk by a bunch of baby oil-sniffing dogs. It was insane! Everybody’s worried. I mean, we got Luigi and that’s good. I really feel sorry for the family. Everybody’s fixated on how good-looking this guy looks. If he looked like Jonah Hill, no one would care.”
“But he actually killed a man. A man with a family, a man with kids,” he adds. “I have condolences for the healthcare CEO, this is a real person. But you also gotta go… sometimes drug dealers get shot.”
Rock was joined by Gracie Abrams, who made her SNL debut as musical guest. Adam Sandler also made a surprise appearance during the show.
