Chris Rock, inset: Luigi Mangione
SNL/YouTube; Jeff Swensen/Getty ImagesChris Rock wasn't afraid to make headlines in its latest issue Saturday Night Live Opening monologue.
On the Saturday, December 14, episode, Rock, 59, addressed the death of UnitedHealthcare's CEO Brian Thompson and his alleged murderer, Luigi Mangionewith some controversial jokes. The fourth host responded to the situation at the start of his monologue, saying that the media seemed to be fixated on Mangione's appearance and not the alleged crime.
“We have Luigi. You know, and that’s a good thing,” Rock told the live audience. “I really feel sorry for the family. Everyone is fixated on how good looking this guy is. If he looked like that Jonah Hillno one would care. They had already given him the chair – he would be dead.”
Rock continued: “But he actually killed a man – a man with a family, a man with children. I have my condolences. I have real condolences for the healthcare CEO. This is a real person, you know? But you also have to say, 'You know, sometimes drug dealers get shot.'”
“I mean, you saw it The wireRight?” Rock joked.
“Saturday Night Live” wrapped up its 49th season and began its 50th season in 2024, delivering a slew of viral cameos and skits along the way. Perhaps the most viral SNL moment of the year occurred in October when guest host Ariana Grande appeared in a wedding reception skit and sang a cover of Sabrina Carpenter […]
Mangione, 26, was arrested Monday, Dec. 9, in Pennsylvania on gun possession charges and will later be extradited to New York to face charges in connection with Thompson's Dec. 4 death at age 50. Mangione's attorney said he intends to plead not guilty and will examine the evidence accordingly CBS News.
Thompson was in New York for an annual UnitedHealthcare investor meeting when he was killed. He is survived by his wife Paulette and their two sons.
Rock wasn't the only person grappling with the CEO's death and Mangione's internet prominence SNL this week. The cold open star was a performer Sarah Sherman Parody of a crime commentator Nancy Grace as she addressed the public reaction to Mangione's arrest.
“And of course everyone online celebrated the hard work of law enforcement in apprehending this dangerous criminal,” Sherman, 31, was heard saying by Grace. “Just kidding, you psychos made him a sex symbol.”
She continued: “That's right, health assassin Luigi Mangione has got women and gays alike hot and bothered.”
Sherman was accompanied by another cast member Kenan Thompson for the skit, which featured a character at the Pennsylvania McDonald's where Mangione was arrested.
“Well, Nancy, I've been eating McDonald's every day for three years,” Kenan said. “I have type 10 diabetes. Blue Cross? Bitch, I have blue feet. Do you know what my health insurance is called? I hope it goes away.”
Sherman's character also asked Kenan if he thought people were actually attracted to Mangione.
“Well, I mean, you can look at him and see he h–” Thompson said. “I mean, women love bad boys.”
Colin Jost Mangione also mentioned on “Weekend Update,” making fun of his arrest and his future in the news.
“This week, America continued the delicate, sensitive debate about who will play this guy in the Netflix miniseries,” he began, as an image of Mangione flashed on the screen. “After police arrested suspected CEO shooter Luigi Mangione, they found a note about him expressing anger at the American economy. Still, he went to Starbucks before the shooting and then got caught at McDonald's. Perhaps his greatest crime was hypocrisy. The McDonald's where the shooter was caught received a one-star review on Yelp to punish him for blowing the whistle. First of all, who looks at McDonald's Yelp reviews? The only Yelp review for McDonald's should be: 'Was open. Five stars.'”
When a throwback photo of Jost as a nerdy high school student emerged, the co-anchor said, “Everyone who went to high school with the suspected shooter said they were shocked that he could become an assassin.” While everyone I went to “I went to high school and were shocked, it wasn’t me.”
Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
