Stephen Colbert refused to say the name of the now-charged murder suspect in the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, bleeping out “Luigi Mangione” during Monday’s “Late Show” monologue.
The reason?
“[It’s] a name that we will bleep before broadcasting this because if he didn’t do it, I don’t want to say it. And if he did do it — I don’t want to say it,” Colbert said before a fit of laughter from the audience.
Watch the moment at the top of Colbert’s monologue, below:
The decision to protect Mangione’s identity on “The Late Show” (Monday’s program also blurred his face while showing a shirtless image from his X account) came after a full day of social media users and news pundits deep-diving into the personal details of the 26-year-old Ivy League grad, who was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, early Monday as a person of interest in the murder before later being charged for shooting Thompson dead in New York City. (Colbert’s “Late Show” taping occurred presumably before the murder charges were enacted on Monday, but certainly not before the entire country knew Mangione’s name and face.)
Instead, Colbert humorously took to first bleeping out Mangione’s name on air, and then referred to him as increasingly Italian dishes, saying his name is “comically close to Guido Casserole” and later identifying him as “Vinny Rigatoni.”
“This story started tragic and then it very quickly added weird because when authorities initially released security photos of the suspect, the Internet reaction was swift and horny,” Colbert continued, referring to the widespread thirst online for Mangione.
“He’s got social media and we’ve been able to see it — and Holy Happytrail, Batman! You know that guy’s Italian because you could grate Parmesan on those abs,” Colbert added.
Further detailing how “America has been breathlessly following the story” and digging up information on Mangione’s past, Colbert shouted out his November trip from Atlanta to New York City by Greyhound bus.
“That’s 18 hours on a Greyhound — prison holds no fear for this man,” he joked.
Mangione was charged Monday with second degree murder, forgery and three related gun crimes in New York City. The New York Times reported Tuesday that he will “fight extradition to New York to face murder charges, potentially keeping him in custody in Pennsylvania for weeks.”
Watch Colbert’s full “Late Show” monologue in the video above.
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