NEW YORK, NY — In a move intended to capitalize on his popularity with the show's audience, NBC announced that UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione would host next week's episode of Saturday Night Live.
The show, which was originally scheduled to air a rerun this weekend due to the Christmas holiday, switched gears and swung a deal to secure Mangione as host after learning how beloved the accused murderer was by viewers.
"We know what our audience wants," said SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels. "Once we heard the tremendous ovation Luigi received when he was mentioned on last week's show, we knew we had to bring him in to host. Viewers love seeing their heroes featured in prominent roles, and nothing is more prominent than hosting Saturday Night Live. We just hope he likes the jokes we write for him, because… well, you know."
Despite Mangione's lack of showbiz experience and pending murder charges, cast members expressed excitement about working with him. "It should be a great episode," said longtime performer Heidi Gardner. "We're always eager to work with celebrities who are really popular with the audience, and I don't know if we've ever had anyone as popular as Luigi. Plus, have you seen him? He's a total smoke show. It'll be fun. Hopefully, we all make it out alive."
At publishing time, expecting Mangione's episode to be a hit, producers were also making calls to line up future hosting spots for Son of Sam, Casey Anthony, and the BTK Killer.
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