Saturday Night Live roasted the New York City mayoral candidates in a mock debate choc-ful of New York references that sent-up the characteristic foibles of each of the Gracie Mansion hopefuls.
Host Miles Teller, of “Top Gun: Maverick” fame, portrayed a thick-accented Andrew Cuomo, comedian Shane Gillis acted the part of a zanier Curtis Sliwa, and comedian Ramy Youssef played frontrunner Zohran Mamdani during a staged NY1 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,” said Youssef’s Mamdani, who was later referred to as “Zoltar Robzombie.”
Mamdani was also mocked for his constant and vacant smiling which, they joked, “hurt [his] face.”
After running through a list of Zohran’s lofty promises about the city, including “free WiFi,” Youssef’s Mamdani admitted, “As mayor, can I make that happen? I’m not sure yet. But together, we’re gonna find out that the answer is ‘no.’”
Teller’s Cuomo argued he was qualified to be mayor because many New Yorkers already dislike the former governor.
“As we all know, once you are elected mayor, everyone in the city immediately hates you. And in that way, I am already one step ahead of the game,” said the mock ex-gov.
Gillis’ Curtis Sliwa made repeated references to his many run-ins with mafia families as he did during the last mayoral debate.
“I’m thrilled to be here and not being shot in the back of a yellow taxi five times by the Gottis and Gambinos as I was, famously, in 1992, 1993, and ‘94,” a beret wearing Gillis said.
When asked why he wanted to be mayor, the skit-Sliwa said, “I need a job.”
SNL veteran Kenan Thompson acted as NY1’s Errol Lewis, joking the local TV host was the “least famous person” ever to be impersonated on SNL.
“But believe me, the resemblance is uncanny,” Thompson joked in a quintessentially Lewis-manner.
Mentioned during the Big Apple-centric skit was grocery chain Gristedes, which they joked sold “wet sandwiches” and joked about the danger of NYC bikelanes.
A mock Donald Trump crashed the proceedings, roasting each of the candidates — claiming the election is “all about me” — before breaking into a verse of “Phantom of the Opera.”
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