New York City’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, was invited to appear on Saturday evening live during his campaign, but Lorne Michaels did it and a comedian played him instead.
Sources said Page six that the Mamdani camp was approaching SNL about a possible appearance while he was still a candidate for elections. The show’s longtime boss wasn’t interested.
“Mamdani was offered, but ultimately, for creative reasons, they opted for comedians,” a source said.
Ramy Youssef ended up playing the democratic socialist in a November 1, 2025 sketch centered around the New York City mayoral debate, alongside Miles Teller as former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Shane Gillis as Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani took it in good humor, posting clips of him laughing with Youssef on FaceTime while the comedian was still in costume.
“Live from New York, I got roasted,” he wrote on social media.
Sources say there have been broader conversations about the possibility of Sliwa, Cuomo and Mamdani appearing on the show, but not necessarily together.
Mamdani has not been featured on the show since his election, although his team could theoretically champion him as a musical guest, given a rap career in the early 2010s under the name Mr. Cardamom.
