TikTok Users Migrating to RedNote Bond With Users Through Edits of Luigi Mangione: 'Love of Luigi is International'

As American TikTok users brace for a potential ban, many have flocked to RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu) in search of a new social media home—and unexpectedly, they've found common ground with Chinese users through a shared fascination with Luigi Mangione.

Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare insurance CEO Brian Thompson in December, has become an unlikely international icon. On RedNote, edits and fan posts celebrating Mangione flood user feeds, even for newcomers still waiting for the algorithm to learn their preferences.

American users, surprised to see a familiar face on the Chinese app, are taking note of the global obsession.

"Luigi, what are you doing here?" one American user joked beneath a photo of Mangione. The comment below is written in English and repeated in Mandarin. "Love of Luigi is international hahahaha," it reads.

A TikTok user credited Mangione's popularity to a Chinese proverb: "If someone is carrying the firewood to keep others warm, then we cannot let them freeze out in the cold." She theorizes that many see Mangione as someone who "raised awareness" about harmful insurance industry practices.

When a new Rednote user asked why Chinese people love Luigi, the replies echoed the TikToker's sentiment. "We think he is a hero," read one. "Why would anybody not love a guy who fights for his people," said another. "We love heroes and he's hot," was yet another explanation.

This unexpected bond over Mangione content has softened the transition for so-called TikTok refugees and sparked curiosity about RedNote's potential to replace TikTok, which is scheduled to be banned in the U.S. starting Sunday.

Whether RedNote will rise to that level remains uncertain, but for now, users around the world are united in their admiration for Luigi Mangione.

TikTok Users Migrating to RedNote Bond With Users Through Edits