**Here’s How People Are Responding To “SNL” Dragging Zohran Mamdani And The 2025 NYC Mayoral Debate**

Saturday Night Live poked fun at the final debate before New York City’s 2025 mayoral election in a hilarious cold open that kicked off the season’s return.

On November 1, SNL was hosted by Miles Teller with musical guest Brandi Carlile. The featured cast opened the episode with a parody of NYC’s mayoral candidates, delivering sharp and comedic impressions of the key players in the race.

Miles Teller portrayed Andrew Cuomo, who initially ran for mayor as a Democrat but is now running as an Independent after losing the primary. Ramy Youssef took on the role of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, while Shane Gillis played a comedic version of Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

The scene was moderated by Kenan Thompson as Errol Louis. When asked, “Why would you want the worst job in the world?” the parodied candidates’ responses left viewers speechless.

Miles, as Cuomo, quipped, “As we all know, as soon as you are elected mayor, everyone in the city immediately hates you. And in that way, I’m already one step ahead of the game.”

Ramy, portraying Mamdani, promised voters free healthcare, Wi-Fi, and affordable housing — but quickly admitted, “As mayor, can I make that happen? I’m not sure yet. But together, we’re going to find out that the answer is no.”

Adding to the absurdity, James Austin Johnson appeared as President Donald Trump, showing up unannounced to the debate and roasting the candidates.

The SNL cold open was another showcase of laugh-to-keep-yourself-from-crying satire, and many viewers found the segment both funny and painfully relatable.

One person commented, “The guy they got for the Trump impression is the most talented member they’ve had in a long while. No offense to SNL, the sketch is great, but the actual debate is even more humorous than this could ever be.”

Another added, “Shane Gillis as Curtis Sliwa is somehow less crazy than Curtis Sliwa as Curtis Sliwa.”

“The line about Trump taking a cognitive test cracked me up. They could have just played the actual debate here and I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference, tbh,” shared another viewer.

And finally, one person summed up the general sentiment: “The debate was so crazy it actually makes this skit not as crazy. I do love Trump coming out to roast everyone though.”

In my opinion, SNL’s parody isn’t too far off from the nonsense of the actual political theater we’re experiencing in 2025.

With that, here’s one more memorable scene from the cold open:

[Watch the full cold open here.]

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**Stay tuned for more updates and discussions on politics and pop culture!**
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mychalthompson/snl-cold-open-2025-nyc-mayor-debate