Imagine being asked to reduce a matter of life and death, a humanitarian crisis, into a trivial game of 'thumbs up or thumbs down.' That's exactly what Zohran Mamdani, New York City's first Muslim mayoral candidate, claims happened during his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. According to a New Yorker profile, producers allegedly pitched a segment where Mamdani would give a binary response to questions like 'Hamas' and 'a Palestinian state,' just hours before he went on air. But here's where it gets controversial: this proposal came after Colbert received a letter from pro-Israel figures demanding Mamdani be grilled on his views of Israel's war on Gaza.
Mamdani, who appeared on the show alongside city comptroller Brad Lander in late June, was initially briefed on standard political topics. But the last-minute shift felt, in his words, like 'distilling a genocide into a late-night game.' His senior adviser, Zara Rahim, pushed back, asking why the show wouldn't highlight Mamdani's historic candidacy instead. CBS declined to comment, and the game never aired—though the interview still devoted six of its 21 minutes to Mamdani's stance on Israel, antisemitism, and tensions between Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers.
During the segment, Colbert asked both Mamdani and Lander if they believed Israel has a right to exist. Mamdani's response was measured: 'Yes, like all nations, I believe it has a right to exist and a responsibility to uphold international law.' But this question, Mamdani later revealed, felt like a recurring trap. 'It’s Islamophobia, the way it’s posed and repeated,' a prominent Muslim leader told the New Yorker.
And this is the part most people miss: Mamdani didn't shy away from addressing antisemitism either. He spoke passionately about increasing funding for anti-hate crime programs by 800%, emphasizing, 'Antisemitism is not simply something we should talk about. It’s something that we have to tackle.' Colbert pressed further, asking if there’s ever justification for violence. Mamdani’s answer was firm: 'No.'
The full interview, available on YouTube, is a masterclass in navigating complex issues under pressure. But it raises a bigger question: Should late-night TV treat matters of war, genocide, and human rights as fodder for games or soundbites? Or is there a way to engage these topics with the depth they deserve? Let’s discuss—do you think Mamdani was unfairly targeted, or was Colbert’s team just doing their job? Share your thoughts below.
