Britney Spears’ ‘Criminal’ Goes Viral After Luigi Mangione Arrest

Following suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione’s arrest on Monday morning (Dec. 9), the internet has gone completely feral.

On the other hand, his family released a somber statement addressing the allegations and his arrest.

“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” they said in a statement released via Nino Mangione, Luigi’s cousin and a Maryland state delegate, per People.

The statement came after Mangione’s mug shots were released to the public, further fueling the internet’s communal lust over him.

Now, people are making Britney Spears’ 2011 hit “Criminal” go viral because they think Mangione is hot.

READ MORE: The Internet Thinks CEO Shooter Suspect Looks Like Dave Franco

In the song, Britney famously sings, “Mama, I’m in love with a criminal.”

One fan even joked that Mangione was listening to “Criminal” prior to his arrest.

“Alexa play ‘Criminal’ by Britney Spears,” one person tweeted along with emojis including the lip bite emoji.

The tweet was in response to a photo of Mangione being escorted into court by police following his arrest.

“If the gays actually make ‘Criminal’ by Britney Spears start charting again because of this Luigi mess I’m going to end up in the hospital from fractured lungs I’m so [for real],” another person tweeted after “Criminal by Britney Spears” became a trending phrase on X (formerly Twitter).

Someone else noted that the song was stuck in their head thanks to people making edits of Mangione set to “Criminal.”

One person predicted that the impact of Mangione and “Criminal” going viral would make the song go “15x platinum.”

Meanwhile, more information has been released about Mangione’s alleged motive and state of mind before the crime, according to People.

The outlet reported that Mangione had allegedly been suffering from “debilitating” back pain and reportedly disappeared and gone “radio silent” from his friends and family.

R.J. Martin, who lived with Mangione at a shared living space in Hawaii in 2022, shared with the New York Times that Mangione did suffer from “chronic back pain.”

The Times also confirmed that Mangione underwent back surgery last year, and Martin said that around June or July, he went “radio silent.”

Mangione has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a firearm.

See more tweets about Luigi Mangione and Britney Spears’ “Criminal,” below: