Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral election has been followed by a wave of online criticism toward actor Debra Messing after she amplified social posts that described the Democratic socialist as a “jihadist” and urged voters to back his rival. Messing, best known for her role in Will & Grace, reposted on Instagram a stylised ballot graphic contrasting “A Democrat. Just a Democrat” with “An actual communist jihadist. A literal Karl Marx-quoting, America-hating jihadist,” a framing that prompted immediate accusations of Islamophobia from social media users and triggered widespread backlash as New Yorkers went to the polls.
In the hours around election day, Messing shared a flurry of Instagram Stories criticising Mamdani and endorsing former governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent. Among the content she reposted was a video in which an influencer referred to the 34-year-old candidate as “Osama bin Mamdani.” Representatives for the actor did not respond to requests for comment reported by several outlets.
Messing also posted her own early-voting message in the days before polls opened, arguing New York needed “someone with experience” and saying of Mamdani: “Our city is too massive, complex, and consequential to have someone 33 years old who has never held a job, and missed 80% of his votes as Councilman. Perhaps with more experience. But not now.” The comments, circulated via her Instagram account, underscored her backing for Cuomo and framed the race as a test of competence and security in the city.
Reaction to the actor’s election-day posts was swift. Critics on X and Instagram labelled the material “Islamophobic” and “openly bigoted,” while others mocked the volume and tone of her postings as results began to crystalise. One widely shared message on X read: “debra messing has posted 100 instagram stories in the past 24 hours,” attached to a screenshot of her Stories; another viral post called it “The Debra Messing meltdown.” The online response formed a backdrop to the mayoral count, which ultimately confirmed Mamdani’s city-wide win.