Friday’s big story on the cable news networks was the guilty plea of Luigi Mangione, the man who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024.
And last night Bill Maher had some thoughts.
“Luigi Mangione,” Maher said in the opening monologue of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, “the guy who was getting the runaround from the healthcare system about his bad back? So, he murdered a healthcare executive randomly. That guy. He pleaded guilty in court. He said, ‘I shot Mr. Thompson and I knew what I was doing.’
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Maher continued, “And the Mangionistas – that’s what they call the groupies outside the courthouse, they took it hard. One of them said, ‘I don’t think this is a concession or admission of guilt.’ Bitch, he just said that he did it, okay?!”
The punchline, such as it was: “On the bright side, you’ll always know where he is when you call.”
In the court hearing yesterday, during which Mangione changed his plea to federal stalking charges from not guilty to guilty, the now-admitted killer said that “after years of enduring severe pain from a broken back,” he used a 3-D printer to build a firearm. “I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died…I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
Mangione’s state murder trial in the December 4, 2024, killing is slated to begin with jury selection on September 8.
Also in the Real Time opening monologue, Maher took on another big story of the week: Donald Trump’s ruse of hiding in an airport catering truck to secretly switch planes and evade a potential Iranian missile, leaving unwitting reporters and some White House staffers and cabinet members in the threatened Air Force One.
Said Maher, “He can pull this off and he can’t clean a pool?”
Jimmy Fallon risks wrath of Trump with joke about Melania Trump amid her month-long absence from public eye
Jimmy Fallon has mocked Melania Trump’s reported 29-day absence from public view, turning it into a series of jokes about her marriage to President Donald Trump.
The First Lady’s lower profile contrasts with her prominent appearances during 2025, including the state banquet hosted by King Charles.
RadarOnline reported that she had not appeared publicly for 29 days as of August 18.
During his August 17 monologue on The Tonight Show, Jimmy noted that Melania had not joined Donald at a campaign stop in Long Island.
Jimmy Fallon targets Melania Trump’s public absence
Fallon began: “Over the weekend, President Trump made a campaign stop in Long Island, and Melania Trump did not travel with him.”
He continued: “People have noticed that she’s been laying low. In fact, she hasn’t been seen in public for 29 days. Trump heard and was like, ‘Big deal. I haven’t seen her in private for two years.'”
Fallon then said: “I understand Melania is taking a step back with everything going on.”
He then used a story about Donald reportedly travelling in an airport catering truck following a NATO summit in Turkey for another marriage gag.
Fallon joked that Melania is “worried that at any moment she could be trapped with Trump inside her catering truck”.
Fallon brings Mitch McConnell into Melania Trump joke
Fallon saved his most pointed line for US Senator Mitch McConnell, who has also spent time away from public engagements.
He said: “All I know is that it’s going to be crazy when we find out she ran off with Mitch McConnell. That’s all – I just – that’s gonna be bizarre.”
The line amounted to a comic riff on their separate absences. There is no evidence in the report of any relationship between Melania and McConnell.
Melania Trump adviser promises Washington appearance
Despite the speculation around Melania’s whereabouts, her senior adviser Marc Beckman has signalled that she will make a public appearance in Washington, D.C.
According to RadarOnline, Beckman said: “No first lady has done anything like this, and, again, she’ll be breaking ground in Washington, D.C., next week… It’s going to be very eye-catching. The whole world will see it.”
The promised appearance would bring Melania back into the spotlight after weeks of public attention surrounding her low profile.
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