Jon Stewart has been the darling of the left for a generation. Now he has joined a growing list of liberal celebrities who say they are done with Zohran Mamdani.
The comedian and host is standing alongside Robert De Niro and Whoopi Goldberg in calling out the New York City mayor for what Stewart described as his “plainly communist” ideas. And Stewart, never one for half measures, let his fans have it straight.
“This fellow was not who we thought he was,” Stewart said.
That is quite a turn from a man who spent years championing progressive causes and mocking anyone who worried about socialism. But Stewart says what he has seen from City Hall has changed his mind.
“We signed up for democratic socialism,” he said. “Instead, we got communism.”
In his signature style, Stewart riffed on the mayor’s spending plans, joking that Mamdani seems to take money from the working people of New York and hand it around, when the promise was supposed to be lower prices. The crowd laughed. Then it got quiet, because a lot of them seemed to agree.
Clips of the segment were everywhere by morning. Some fans said they felt betrayed. Others said Stewart was finally saying what they had been whispering at dinner parties for months.
“Jon has a way of saying what his audience is already thinking,” said Alex Bruno, a television writer who has worked in late-night comedy. “When he turns on somebody, it’s a sign the mood has shifted. He doesn’t lead the crowd. He reads it.”
Stewart says he feels “embarrassed” that he was so easily fooled. He admitted that he talked up Mamdani during the campaign and told people the fears were exaggerated. Now, he says, he owes his viewers some honesty.
“Well, we do not make this mistake anymore,” he said.
De Niro, who has been loudly critical of the mayor in recent weeks, reportedly welcomed Stewart to the club. Goldberg addressed the topic on “The View,” saying she had heard from a lot of New Yorkers who feel the same way.
Mamdani’s supporters were furious. They accused Stewart of caving to pressure from wealthy friends and said the mayor is doing exactly what he promised. One activist called it a betrayal by a man who used to punch up.
For Democrats, the timing is awkward. Party leaders have spent months trying to figure out how close to stand next to Mamdani. With Stewart, De Niro, and Whoopi now publicly distancing themselves, many are running for the exits, and fast.
Critics on the right are enjoying every minute of it, joking that the mayor is raising the hammer and sickle over New York City while his own fan club heads for the suburbs.
“Stewart is the canary in the coal mine,” Bruno said. “If he’s out, a lot of people are out. They just haven’t said it yet.” Mamdani’s office did not respond to a request for comment.