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Mayor Zohran Mamdani took center stage at his first Inner Circle dinner Saturday night — roasting the media, taking swipes at The Post and even teaming up with former rival Curtis Sliwa for a skit.
He began his comedy bit — which was the climax of the annual jokefest, in which members of the city press corps and the mayor traditionally trade quips — by poking fun at his early days in office.
“Now, this is the 87th night of my administration — or as the New York Post would describe it: Arabian Nights,” Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, said at the event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.
The socialist leader also joked about the Post’s coverage of his family’s posh compound in his African homeland of Uganda.
“If you have any trips planned to Uganda… consider renting my parents’ elegant home,” Mamdani told the black-tie crowd, adding that it comes with a “New York Post reporter permanently stationed outside.”
Mamdani also joked about his relationship with Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“We’re like Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio — except we don’t want to murder each other and there’s way less sexual tension,” he said.
Mamdani later appeared in a skit alongside Sliwa, the 2025 GOP mayoral candidate and famous cat lover, and received an allergy shot for cats, as he his planning to get one for Gracie Mansion.
He also had a few shots for other members of the media.
“Thank you to the real press corps of New York City — Instagram creators with 33,000 followers,” he said. “If you lose a few hundred followers, you’ll still have more readers than the Daily News.”
The Inner Circle dinner, a long-running event produced by journalists who cover city politics, combines a charity gala with a staged parody show.
The event takes its name after a group of New York political reporters who had insider access to City Hall.
Before Mamdani took the stage, journalists took their turn skewering the mayor and his administration, turning the Midtown theater into a musical-style roast of City Hall with song parodies, costumes and one-liners.
The show opened with a jab.
“Good evening comrade, I’m Dean Fuleihan,” one reporter said, introducing Jeff Coltin — who played Mamdani — to laughs from the crowd.
Coltin, editor-in-chief of City & State, wore an apron with no shirt underneath, a nod to a past Mamdani music video appearance.
The show unfolded as a multi-act revue, with reporters performing parody songs and playing exaggerated versions of political figures.
One number, “Mamdani Math,” set to “Pink Pony Club,” drew some of the biggest laughs of the night.
Other skits targeted members of the administration.
“I’m first deputy major mayor — it’s almost the same job I had, you know, with Bill de Blasio,” said an actor portraying Dean Fuleihan.
“But why did I come back? Did you ever hear of Hot girls for Zara? Besides, I’m the experienced hand behind all of these wacky doodle socialists in City Hall.”
The real Dean Fuleihan was in the room as the line drew laughs.
Another reporter in the show took aim at the mayor’s communications team.
“I’m Dora Pekec, a senior spokeswoman for the mayor… even though I’m only 26,” the performing journalist said.
The show also featured portrayals of former Mayor Eric Adams, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, radio host John Catsimatidis and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa — all played by reporters.
Other songs and skits referenced city issues including transit and housing, with mentions of proposals such as free buses.
Saturday’s performance followed that format, with reporters taking on the roles of politicians and delivering the jokes from the stage.
The audience — a mix of politicians, media figures and other insiders — reacted with steady laughter throughout the night.
The event is often compared to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, with elected officials in attendance as the subject of the evening’s jokes.
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