In a recent interview, Charlie Day who voices Luigi in Illumination’s Super Mario Bros. animated movies named alleged United Healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione as one of his ‘favorite’ Americans named Luigi.
In an interview with the Tintoria podcast, Day was asked:
Tintoria: I have a question for you, Charlie. You play Luigi, a great Italian guy. Who’s your favorite Luigi in recent American history?
Day: Well me first of all… number one. Luigi Mangione is number two.
The interview is full of off-color humor intended for the podcast’s audience rather than the children Illumination and Nintendo hope to draw into theaters. Which makes it difficult to say just how sincere Day’s comment actually is.
You can check out the interview for yourself below, the question is at approximately the 10 minute mark.
For those unaware, Luigi Mangione is the man accused of killing the CEO of United Healthcare on December 4, 2024. However due to the high profile nature of the crime, proceedings have been slow on both the state and federal level, with the justice system dismissing several of his charges and as such no longer faces the death penalty.
Mangione’s alleged crime has become a focal point of partisan politics, with many who are frustrated with the US healthcare system supporting Mangione. As of today a GiveSendGo (an alternative to GoFundMe) for Mangione’s legal defense has raised over $1.4 million.
