Week in Review: Luigi Mangione Goes Viral (For All the Wrong Reasons)

If there’s one story this week that dominated every area of the news, it was the arrest of Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. When photos of Mangione hit social media, users across platforms went into a tizzy. Not only did his alleged crimes become a viral story, Mangione himself (or the perception of him) as a cultural figure went viral. From some users hailing him as a modern-day Robin Hood to others lusting over his chiseled looks, we’re clearly experiencing something as a society that is both fascinating and mildly disturbing. Which is why that’s the story we’re starting off with for this week’s week-in-review.

But before we get into the parting shot for the week, make sure you’re subscribed to the For the Culture newsletter for all things entertainment and to the Parting Shot Podcast with H. Alan Scott for celebrity interviews and reactions to what’s going on in pop culture and how it’s impacted by politics, news and the world at large.

Comedian Kara Klenk (co-host of That’s Messed Up: An SVU Podcast) joined the Parting Shot podcast to react to the response on social media to Luigi Mangione, and how uncomfortable some of the praise can be.

“Everybody I know is hot and horny for this murderer. It just… makes me a little uncomfortable,” Klenk said. “I do think healthcare in this country is getting away with criminal activity. But we are not The Purge, the movie, do you know what I mean? It cannot be eye for an eye.”

Another story discussed this week was Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his statements on the weight loss benefits of medications like Ozempic. He has previously stated that a focus on quality food would solve the obesity epidemic. He’s since elaborated on his thoughts about these drugs, telling CNBC Thursday that, “the first line of response should be lifestyle, it should be eating well, making sure that you don’t get obese, and that those GLP drugs have a place.”

Another member of Trump’s upcoming administration, Elon Musk, has openly supported drugs like Ozempic. “Nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan and quality of life for Americans than making [GLP-1 drugs] super low cost to the public,” Musk recently posted to X, formerly Twitter. “Nothing else is even close.”

Watch the full episode of the Parting Shot podcast above or listen wherever you get podcasts.

REALITY RECAP

We need to talk about this week’s episode of Survivor. Two iconic players went home in the second to last episode of season 47.

All season long Andy Rueda has been a polarizing player. In episode one he had a very public meltdown, which seemed to define his reputation throughout the game. But every week Andy remained, and in a plot twist nobody saw coming, his game got better. So much so that many came to regard him as one of the better players this season. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to make it to the end, but he told Newsweek that he’s still proud of his game.

After Andy was voted out, all eyes turned to Genevieve Mushaluk and Rachel LaMont. Both have dominated challenges and Genevieve was instrumental in Operation Italy, a game play that blindsided another player and established Genevieve as a force to be reckoned with in the game. Rachel described her and Genevieve as Harry Potter and Voldemort, enemies yet always intertwined.

Rachel won immunity in the challenge, ensuring her placement in the final four. All eyes turned to Christine “Teeny” Chirichillo, Sam Phalen and Sue Smey as the next player out because Genevieve had a Hidden Immunity Idol. The kicker was, only Sam and Genevieve knew that her Hidden Immunity Idol was a fake. Sam decided to tell Teeny this information because he needed to do something to save himself. Teeny then went and told Sue and Rachel. There was a bit of doubt going into Tribal Council whether Genevieve was just playing everybody again (something she did a lot throughout the season), but in the end, Genevieve got voted out.

Chatting with Newsweek, Genevieve talked about her “fake it ’til you make it” plan and where she thinks her game went wrong.

Finally, House of Villains this week also aired its second to last episode before the finale, and Kandy Muse of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame got the boot. But Kandy didn’t go out quietly. In a chat with Newsweek, Kandy talks about some of the things that went down behind the scenes, and why they would want to come back to claim the crown as the most villainous.

WHAT TO WATCH AND READ

There are two things you need to watch this week: Paris & Nicole: The Encore on Peacock and No Good Deed on Netflix.

Ray Romano stars in Netflix’s No Good Deed, a dramedy series that follows families looking to buy a home owned by Paul and Lydia Morgan (Romano and Lisa Kudrow). “I read about three scripts, and at the end of each there was a little twist, a little turn, [and] it was funny,” Ramano told Newsweek‘s Parting Shot podcast. The series uses comedic actors in sometimes-dramatic situations (yet still humorous). “You know both of us, Lisa and I, from sitcoms—her sitcom was much more well-known than ours, but we have our fans, too. If they allow us to show this other [heavier] side, I think it’s very effective.”

Also, on the Parting Shot podcast, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie chatted about The Encore and their iconic reunion nearly 20 years after they rose to fame with The Simple Life. You can listen to that wherever you get podcasts.

On the book front, check out Daniel Aleman’s I Might Be in Trouble. Aleman told Newsweek about making the transition from young adult novels to adult fiction and how the inspiration for I Might Be in Trouble came from close to home.

“I will say with this one character; I was very intentional about making him a mirror of myself. I wanted him to basically be me.”

The novel follows David Alvarez, a young author whose debut success has dwindled and finds inspiration for new work after discovering a one-night stand has suddenly died in his bed. (For the record, this part of the novel is not based on Aleman.) But at its core, the dark comedy novel is about discovering your path even though it can sometimes feel uncertain.

Listen to the full chat with Daniel Aleman on Newsweek‘s Parting Shot.

Movies to check out this weekend include the animated Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim and Angelina Jolie in Netflix’s Maria, where the Oscar-winner plays Opera singer Maria Callas.

That’s it for this week. We’ll see you next week.