'SNL' Audience and Viewers Reacted Strongly to Luigi Mangione Mentioned on Weekend Update

Luigi Mangione was brought up in multiple jokes during the Weekend Update segment.

Chrissy Bobic - Author
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Published Dec. 23 2024, 10:13 a.m. ET

It's safe to say that Luigi Mangione is everywhere whether you are tired of hearing about the accused CEO murderer or not. And now, his name was attached to the Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live during its last new episode of 2024. But the reactions to Luigi Mangione on SNL's Weekend Update are what really matters. And we aren't just talking about the in-studio reaction.

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Because when co-anchor Colin Jost said Mangione's name during the segment on the Dec. 21 episode of SNL, he was met with cheers. He was confused about the audience reaction, and now, there are viewer reactions to Mangione being mentioned on SNL and also to the way the audience responded to suspect who was arrested for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder that took place on Dec. 4.

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The reactions to Luigi Mangione on 'SNL's Weekend Update are hard to ignore.

Mangione was arrested in connection to Thompson's murder and charged with a litany of crimes, including first degree murder. After he was apprehended in Altoona, Penn., he was extradited to New York City. Despite his charges, he has been met with a lot of support from people on social media.

Those who believe he is guilty have commended him for acting against the healthcare industry. And those who don't think Mangione committed the crime are in support of his imminent release. It's possible that some individuals who share either of those sentiments were in the audience on SNL, judging by their cheers at the mention of Mangione.

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On social media, the noise was even louder. One user shared on X (formerly Twitter), "Luigi Mangione's name was mentioned on SNL and the crowd immediately burst into applause. Yeah, the 1% should be nervous."

Another user tweeted, "Do the one percent know that the live studio audience at SNL REALLY fw Luigi Mangione?? Checkmate capitalists."

One viewer posted on X that Jost's surprise about the cheers for Mangione was what was really confusing following the mention of Mangione on Weekend Update.

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"Does this SNL host have any social media accounts?" The user posted. "He seemed surprised at the audience's reaction to Luigi Mangione. Anyone w/ a social media account would know Mangione is looked at as a hero, but to be surprised by this shows just how out of touch this host is!!!"

Whether people really do view Mangione as a "hero" or not, there is no denying that the discussion about Mangione and his accused crimes are constantly flooding various social media platforms. And now, this mention of him during the Dec. 21 episode of SNL continues that discussion.

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Others who are skeptical of Mangione amid his charges and accusations shared their own reactions to the apparent excitement of the SNL audience at the mere mention of Mangione's name.

"#SNL. The audience's swoon screams for Luigi Mangione was so cringe," someone tweeted after the episode aired.

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Another posted, "I found the loud cheering for Luigi Mangione on SNL last night quite off putting and rather shocking in its brazenness."

With mixed reactions, it's clear that not everyone got a kick out of the audience reaction during the live episode.

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Colin Jost was confused about the 'SNL' audience reaction to Luigi Mangione.

When Jost first mentioned Mangione in a joke about Mangione arriving in New York City, he was met with cheers from the studio audience. Jost, then appearing confused, asked if the audience is "wooing for justice." As users on social media continue to share their thoughts on Mangione, SNL is now part of that conversation.

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