'Saturday Night Live' tackles the internet's thirst for 'sex icon' Luigi Mangione

• "Saturday Night Live" has tackled the social media reaction to the arrest of Luigi Mangione.
• Mangione was charged with killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
• The sketch featured a character saying he's gotten "the horniest DMs" due to looking like Mangione.

"Saturday Night Live" kicked off its latest episode with a cold open that took on the internet's reaction to Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, who was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Thompson's death, has emerged as a heartthrob in certain corners of the internet.

In a sketch parodying the show "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace," the "SNL" cast tackled the social media response to Mangione, with Sarah Sherman playing Grace.

Recapping Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania earlier this month, Sherman said: "Of course, everyone online celebrated the hard work of law enforcement in apprehending this dangerous criminal."

"Just kidding! Y'all psychos made him a sex symbol," she added, before describing Mangione as looking like "Dave Franco with Eugene Levy's eyebrows."

"I mean, really, what is going on in this country? Y'all, this man is not a sex icon. This man is — and I cannot say this any clearer — a murderer," she said.

Sherman later interviewed a character played by longtime cast member Kenan Thompson, asking him if he could believe people were attracted to this "sexy slayer."

"I mean, women love bad boys," Thompson replied.

"Back in the day, you could impress your old lady with a little poem, now you got to write a manifesto," he continued, seemingly referencing the handwritten note Mangione had in his possession when he was arrested.

The sketch then introduced a man who had been "affected closely by this story," played by cast member Emil Wakim.

Speaking as a guy who "happens to look like Luigi Mangione," Wakim said: "Yeah, this whole thing's kind of been a roller coaster for me."

"On one hand, I keep getting tackled by bounty hunters, but on the other hand, I've gotten some of the horniest DMs in my life," he added.

Thanks to his digital footprint, much of Mangione's life has been laid out in public since his identification and arrest.

"Saturday Night Live" illustrated their sketch by including a shirtless photo of Mangione that has gone viral since it was uncovered by internet sleuths.

Since his arrest, a Mangione look-alike contest has been held in New York City, Spotify playlists have been dedicated to him, and fanfiction featuring him has also been written.

As Business Insider previously reported, Mangione-themed merchandise has also been popping up online.