Will & Grace star Debra Messing faces major backlash for brutal message to Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral election not only reshaped the city’s political scene but also triggered intense backlash centered on his identity. Among the most vocal critics was actress Debra Messing, whose comments stirred widespread outrage online.

At just 34, Mamdani made history as New York’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor, narrowly defeating independent candidate Andrew Cuomo with slightly over half the vote. However, discussions quickly shifted from policy to personal attacks, mirroring past rhetoric aimed at figures like Kamala Harris.

Messing, a Brooklyn-born activist and longtime political voice, had publicly supported Cuomo. Controversy erupted when she reposted a meme branding Mamdani a “communist jihadist,” framing the election as a fight between “democracy and extremism.” The post spread rapidly among her one million followers.

Critics accused Messing of using racist and Islamophobic language, saying her remarks perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Muslim Americans. One online comment read, “This isn’t political debate — it’s prejudice.”

Some defended Messing, claiming her criticism targeted Mamdani’s socialist politics, not his religion. But tensions rose further after she shared another post calling him “Osama Bin Mamdani,” a phrase many found offensive in light of New York’s 9/11 history.

In his victory speech, Mamdani addressed the hostility indirectly, declaring, “I am young, I am Muslim, I am a democratic socialist — and I will not apologize for who I am.”

To many, the election symbolized a generational and cultural shift in city politics; to others, it revealed lingering fears cloaked in modern discourse.