Social media influencer Caroline Calloway has made headlines after claiming a connection to Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Calloway, 33, shared her claim on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, December 9, the same day Mangione was arrested while eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. “OMG GUYS I LITERALLY F—ED THE UNITED HEALTHCARE CEO ASSASSIN,” she wrote.
Mangione has since been charged with murder in New York and faces additional charges, including forging a document and possessing a firearm, according to CNN.
Advertisement In a follow-up tweet, Calloway clarified, “Ok technically he was not an assassin when we f—ed. … That I know of. But still!!!!”
The bold statements quickly drew mixed reactions online. Some users questioned the validity of her claim, with one writing, “Receipts Caroline we need receipts,” while another called her a “God-tier grifter.”
Calloway has faced criticism for past controversies. In a 2019 essay for The Cut, her former friend Natalie Beach accused her of fabricating parts of her public persona, buying fake followers, and hiring Beach to ghostwrite Instagram captions. Beach wrote, “Caroline was caught between who she was and who she believed herself to be, which in the end may have been the most relatable thing about her.”
Beach’s essay was later included in her 2023 book Adult Drama: And Other Essays. That same year, Calloway released a memoir titled Scammer, which received a favorable review in The New Yorker. Calloway celebrated the comparison to Beach’s work, writing on Instagram, “GOD, MAKE ME THE BIGGER PERSON — JUST NOT YET!!!!!!”
Calloway has been known for her provocative online presence. Earlier this year, she told the “No Jumper” podcast that she hadn’t “f—ed someone who can read in two years.” She also caused a stir in October when she refused to evacuate her Sarasota, Florida, beachfront home ahead of Hurricane Milton. “If I actually die in this storm, my books are going to go WAY UP in price. Order now,” she wrote on Instagram.
As for Mangione, he is accused of fatally shooting Thompson outside the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel on December 4. Following a five-day search, law enforcement apprehended him in Pennsylvania on Monday.
It remains unclear whether Calloway’s claim about Mangione is factual or intended as a joke.
Source: US Weekly