Overview

Free Luigi Mangione, also known as Free Luigi, #FreeLuigi and Luigi Mangione's "Free Him" Campaign, is a viral social media campaign and movement that emerged in mid-December 2024 in response to the detainment of Luigi Mangione, the main suspect in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on December 4th, 2024. Following his highly publicized arrest on December 9th, 2024, at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, an online fandom (both ironic and genuine) started to post memes and jokes in support of the alleged shooter, many treating him as a misguided hero standing against the perceived corruption of the American healthcare system. The hashtag campaign "#FreeLuigi" gained traction on platforms like Twitter / X, Reddit and TikTok, with many users creating thirst trap and fancam videos of Mangione, as well as spreading a conspiracy theory that Mangione was not the shooter.

Background

The #FreeLuigi campaign started after the arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, on December 9th, 2024, when authorities detained him as the primary suspect for the alleged murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown, Manhattan on December 4th. The incident drew international attention, leading to a social media uproar, with many portraying Mangione as a hero challenging the perceived corruption in the American healthcare system.

The X^[1] account @PopBase posted a screenshot showing the "Free Him" term going viral on the platform with over 37,000 searches on December 9th, 2024, claiming it became a trending topic "following the identification of Luigi Mangione, current person-of-interest being questioned for the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO." The tweet (seen below) amassed over 594,000 views and 20,000 likes in a day.

Online Reactions

One of the earliest viral mentions of the campaign was posted on December 9th, 2024, by X^[2] user @Innonn_, who posted a photoshopped image featuring Luigi Mangione's face and the phrase "Free Luigi" in black and white. The tweet (seen below) received roughly 73,000 views and 1,400 likes in a day.

On the same day, X^[3] user @adhn_6 posted a video of a woman singing, captioning it, "Release Luigi Mangione. Free Him." The post (seen below) garnered over 1.8 million views and 50,000 likes in a day.

TikTokers also joined the #FreeLuigi campaign by posting thirst trap and fancam videos of the suspect in mid-December 2024.

For example, on December 9th, 2024, TikTok^[4] @user1589986 uploaded a fancam edit using Luigi's arrest video (seen below), writing the overlay text, "Free Italian fine shyt," amassing more than 233,000 plays and 23,000 likes in a day.

Also on December 9th, 2024, the subreddit^[5] /r/FreeLuigi was created by Redditors, dedicated to posting content in favor of the alleged murderer of UnitedHealthcare's CEO.

For instance, Redditor^[6] u/babie_brybry posted a montage of Luigi Mangione that day, writing "American Hero" over him and adding the caption, "Free our boy." The post (seen below) garnered more than 140 upvotes and several comments in a day.

Search Interest

External References