Saturday Night Live Parodies NYC Mayoral Debate with Political Impersonations
Saturday Night Live parodied NYC mayoral candidates in a sketch, featuring actors like Ramy Youssef, Shane Gillis, and James Austin Johnson impersonating political figures.
SNL spoofs debate over ‘worst job in the world’ NYC mayor
Washington Examiner
Overview
- Comedian Ramy Youssef portrayed Zohran Mamdani, a socialist frontrunner, in a "Saturday Night Live" parody sketch, adding to the comedic take on the NYC mayoral race.
- Actors Shane Gillis and Miles Teller impersonated various NYC mayoral candidates, including Andrew Cuomo, during the "Saturday Night Live" sketch, satirizing the political landscape.
- Kenan Thompson hosted the debate as Errol Louis, delivering jokes about local New York City chains and sculptures, setting the scene for the mayoral candidate parody.
- The sketch included references to personal experiences, with Gillis's character mentioning being shot in a yellow cab and Sliwa's character detailing brutal encounters with the city's underworld.
- James Austin Johnson made a surprise appearance, portraying President Donald Trump in the "Saturday Night Live" parody sketch, further mocking the NYC mayoral candidates.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources cover this story neutrally by focusing on factual reporting of the 'Saturday Night Live' sketch's content and providing relevant show context. They avoid injecting political commentary or evaluating the real-world figures parodied, instead describing the comedic portrayals and the show's recent programming decisions.
"The sketch show parodied the final New York City mayoral debate, with Miles Teller as Andrew Cuomo, Ramy Youssef as Zohran Mamdani and Shane Gillis as Curtis Sliwa."
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FAQ
Zohran Mamdani is an American politician serving in the New York State Assembly since 2021, representing Queens, and is the Democratic and Democratic Socialists of America nominee for New York City mayor in 2025.
Mamdani supports fare-free city buses, public child care, city-owned grocery stores, LGBTQ rights, a rent freeze on rent-stabilized units, more affordable housing, public safety reform, a $30 minimum wage by 2030, and tax increases on corporations and high earners.
Actors Ramy Youssef portrayed Zohran Mamdani, Shane Gillis and Miles Teller impersonated various mayoral candidates including Andrew Cuomo, Kenan Thompson hosted as Errol Louis, and James Austin Johnson appeared as President Donald Trump.
The sketch was a comedic and satirical take on the NYC mayoral race, featuring impersonations of candidates, jokes about local New York City culture, personal anecdotes related to city life, and a surprise portrayal of President Trump to mock the political landscape.
Mamdani's campaign focuses on lowering the cost of living for working-class New Yorkers, emphasizing grassroots power with a multicultural and multilingual volunteer base that has knocked on millions of doors and made millions of phone calls to mobilize voters.
History
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