NY Politician Zohran Mamdani Explained Why He Really Had To ‘Give It To’ SNL After Seeing Ramy Youssef Impersonate Him

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Saturday Night Live is famous for its celebrity impressions, particularly when it comes to politicians. From the very beginning, this long-running sketch comedy show has offered a unique take on current events, and that continues today, including its remarkably accurate impression of President Donald Trump by James Austin Johnson. With the recent New York City mayoral election, SNL jumped into the conversation, featuring comedian Ramy Youssef as candidate Zohran Mamdani in a memorable cold open – a performance that even caught the attention of the real Mamdani.

Season 51 of SNL has had some ups and downs, but the latest sketch was pretty good. To coincide with the highly discussed mayoral election, Saturday Night Live featured Miles Teller as Andrew Cuomo, Shane Gillis as Curtis Sliwa, and Youssef as Mamdani. According to NBC New York, when asked about the sketch while campaigning, Mamdani took the joke in good humor.

I have to admit, they really did have all the props – the rings, the watch, everything! It’s a real honor to be joining my fellow assemblymember, Harvey Epstein, as someone who’s been on SNL. I think our leaders should be able to laugh at themselves, and I hope to be one of them.

Many famous politicians and celebrities don’t take offense to being parodied on Saturday Night Live, and some, like Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton with Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler, have even appeared on the show with their impersonators. It’s unclear if Zohran will ever join them, but he clearly enjoyed being spoofed and was amazed by how accurately the SNL cast captured his mannerisms and details.

Kamala Harris has spoken positively about Stephen Colbert’s impression of her, especially leading up to the 2024 election, and complimented his work. Like Hasan Minhaj, she emphasized the importance of being able to laugh at yourself – a sentiment proven true when she unexpectedly appeared in the final episode of his show before the election. While she isn’t the first public figure to appear with her comedic counterpart, her cameo was still a delightful surprise.

It was a great surprise to see Ramy Youssef take on the impression! He’s only been on SNL twice – once as host in March 2024 – and the writers clearly knew he was the perfect choice to play Zohran Mamdani. He really nailed it, and it’s wonderful that Mamdani himself enjoys the impersonation so much.

Whether Youssef continues to play Mamdani on SNL probably hinges on the results of Tuesday’s election. However, Mamdani himself seems very happy with his portrayal on the show, which featured him in one of its many political sketches. He’s now part of a growing group of politicians who have been impersonated on the show – and he’s one of the few who genuinely appreciates it. Viewers can rewatch the SNL episode on Peacock or find the full sketch on YouTube to see Youssef’s performance.

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2025-11-04 21:38