New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was reportedly considered for an appearance on Saturday Night Live during his election campaign, but the idea was ultimately turned down.
According to reports, Mamdani’s team approached the show while he was still running for office. However, longtime SNL creator Lorne Michaels decided not to move forward with the proposal.
Sources said the decision was based on “creative reasons,” with the show preferring to stick with its traditional format of using comedians to portray political figures.
Instead, actor and comedian Ramy Youssef played Mamdani in a sketch aired in November 2025. The segment focused on a New York City mayoral debate and featured Miles Teller as former governor Andrew Cuomo and Shane Gillis as Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Despite being left out of the show, Mamdani appeared to take the decision lightly. He shared a video of himself laughing during a FaceTime call with Youssef, who was still in costume after the sketch aired.
“Live from New York, I got roasted,” Mamdani joked on social media, embracing the humor of the situation.
Reports also suggest that there were wider discussions about featuring multiple political candidates on the show, though no final plan was approved.
Interestingly, Mamdani could still have another path to SNL. Before entering politics, he reportedly had a brief music career under the name Mr. Cardamom, meaning a future appearance as a musical guest is not entirely out of the question.
The decision highlights SNL’s long-standing approach of using comedians rather than real politicians to deliver satire, even during major election cycles.