Saturday Night Live recently took aim at the New York City mayoral candidates in a hilarious mock debate packed with clever New York references. The sketch playfully highlighted the distinctive quirks of each hopeful vying for Gracie Mansion.

Host Miles Teller, known for his role in “Top Gun: Maverick,” donned a thick accent as Andrew Cuomo. Comedian Shane Gillis brought a zanier version of Curtis Sliwa to life, while comedian Ramy Youssef portrayed frontrunner Zohran Mamdani during the staged NY-1 mayoral debate.

“Hello, everyone, I’m happy to be here, and I am ready to spend the next hour hearing my opponents pronounce my name in ways you couldn’t begin to imagine,” joked Youssef’s Mamdani, who was later nicknamed “Zoltar Robzombie.” The character’s constant, vacant smiling was also a running gag, with the cast teasing that it “hurt [his] face.”

Gillis’ Curtis Sliwa leaned into his notorious reputation, making repeated references to his many run-ins with mafia families—just as he did in the actual mayoral debate.

SNL veteran Kenan Thompson took on the role of NY1’s Errol Lewis, poking fun at the local TV host by calling him the “least famous person” ever impersonated on SNL. “But believe me, the resemblance is uncanny,” Thompson quipped, perfectly nailing Lewis’s distinctive style.

The Big Apple-centric sketch didn’t stop there. It mentioned grocery chain Gristedes, jokingly describing it as a place that sells “wet sandwiches,” and spotlighted the ever-controversial NYC bike lanes, poking fun at their perceived dangers.

Adding to the chaos, a mock Donald Trump crashed the debate, roasting each candidate before breaking into an unexpected verse of “Phantom of the Opera,” leaving the audience in stitches.

This SNL sketch proved once again that the iconic show knows how to capture the spirit—and the humor—of New York City politics.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/02/entertainment/snl-cold-open-mocks-nyc-mayoral-election-2025-race-between-mamdani-cuomo-sliwa/