{"id":361562,"date":"2026-10-01T05:20:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T05:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/361562\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T05:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T05:20:14","slug":"pete-davidson-questions-nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdani-over-highway-nightmare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/361562\/","title":{"rendered":"Pete Davidson questions NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani over highway nightmare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Pete Davidson didn\u2019t hold back while delivering a blunt message to <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209283\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/zohran-mamdani\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">On Monday night, the 32-year-old comedian appeared on &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PWd48Rt-k_4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/a>&#8221; where Kimmel, 58, told him that Mamdani, 34, would be his next guest. The late night host then pointed out that Davidson was a &#8220;lifelong resident of this city&#8221; and asked if he had any questions for the mayor.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Yes, could he fix the &#8220;f&#8212;&#8211;g BQE, please?&#8221; Davidson said in a clip shared on the show&#8217;s <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209285\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/Dd4l2TKSmU-\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Instagram page.<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pete-davidson-zohran-mamdani.jpg\" alt=\"A split of Pete Davidson and Zohran Mamdani\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Pete Davidson called out New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani over long-delayed construction on major highway. (Todd Owyoung\/NBC via Getty Images; Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209286\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/nyc-drivers-shell-out-9-congestion-toll-city-admits-failed-improve-air-quality\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">NYC DRIVERS SHELL OUT $9 CONGESTION TOLL. CITY ADMITS IT FAILED TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The BQE, short for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, is a major New York City highway that runs through Brooklyn and Queens and has long been criticized for traffic congestion and aging infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Davidson&#8217;s request was immediately met with cheers and thunderous applause from the studio audience.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;You hit on something,&#8221; Kimmel noted.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Look at that,&#8221; Davidson said, gesturing toward the crowd.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;That&#8217;s the loudest response I&#8217;ve ever gotten,&#8221; he added with a laugh.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pete-davidson-jimmy-kimmel.jpg\" alt=\"Pete Davidson and Jimmy Kimmel seated together on the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live!\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Davidson told Kimmel to ask Mamdani about the highway that he says has &#8220;been under construction since before I was born.&#8221;\u00a0 (Disney via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The &#8220;<a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209287\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/entertainment\/saturday-night-live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Saturday Night Live<\/a>&#8221; star went on to explain that his frustration stemmed from the seemingly endless construction and what he described as a lack of visible work at the site.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209288\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/mamdanis-latest-freebie-sets-off-online-fury-critics-rip-city-priorities-opera-socialism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">MAMDANI&#8217;S LATEST FREEBIE SETS OFF ONLINE FURY AS CRITICS RIP CITY PRIORITIES: &#8216;OPERA SOCIALISM&#8217;<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;The BQE has been under construction since before I was born. And here\u2019s my problem with it,&#8221; Davidson said. &#8220;They\u2019re never doing anything. Someone\u2019s just standing there eating a sandwich or on the phone, and there\u2019s all these cones around.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;So I don&#8217;t know what mob front or whatever, who&#8217;s getting money from whatever, but just fix it, please,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209289\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/zohran-mamdani-admits-he-wants-end-his-one-sided-beef-about-taxes-rapper-50-cent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">ZOHRAN MAMDANI ADMITS HE WANTS TO END HIS \u2018ONE-SIDED BEEF\u2019 ABOUT TAXES WITH RAPPER 50 CENT<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I&#8217;m going ask him about it. I will ask him about it,&#8221; Kimmel assured Davidson, who replied, &#8220;Yeah, please!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">At the end of <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209290\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/mamdani-deflects-kimmel-anti-trump-bait-pressed-repeatedly-relationship-president\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Mamdani&#8217;s appearance on the show<\/a>, Kimmel presented the mayor with Davidson&#8217;s question.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;One more thing,&#8221; Kimmel told Mamdani.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Hit me,&#8221; Mamdani said with a smile.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MAMDANI-KIMMEL-TRUMP.jpg\" alt=\"Mayor Mamdani and Kimmel\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Mamdani later responded to Davidson&#8217;s message when he appeared on Kimmel&#8217;s show later in the episode. (ABC\/JimmyKimmelLive)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Pete Davidson wants to know what&#8217;s going on in the BQE,&#8221; Kimmel said. &#8220;He says he drives by it and he sees nobody doing anything. He said it&#8217;s been like since before he was born.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Mamdani responded by highlighting his office\u2019s BQE Central Project, a $4 billion plan to rehabilitate the city-owned section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street, with construction expected to begin in 2030.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;We&#8217;re gonna be putting a multi-billion dollar plan to actually repair the part the city owns,&#8221; Mamdani said. &#8220;Which is the part that is currently the most at risk and that&#8217;s going to be proceeding over the next 10 years. Full safety. No diversion of traffic into local neighborhoods and actually bring it back.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;So you\u2019re saying Pete\u2019s daughter will also be complaining about this,&#8221; Kimmel joked as Mamdani and the audience laughed.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fox News Digital reached out to Davidson&#8217;s and Mamdani&#8217;s reps for comment.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Mamdani, a <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209291\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/mamdani-grilled-whether-socialism-platform-work-outside-new-york-city\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Democratic socialist<\/a>, emerged as a surprise winner in New York City\u2019s mayoral race last November after building a strong following through social media and grassroots campaigning. He took office on Jan. 1 when he was sworn in as mayor.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/zohran-mamdani-nyc-nov-4-2025.jpg\" alt=\"Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, pulled off a surprise election victory last November. (Barry Williams\/New York Daily News\/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Davidson has mostly talked about politics jokingly, but he has openly criticized <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209292\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-mamdani-set-meet-again-mayors-home-turf-after-months-political-whiplash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">President Donald Trump<\/a> and supported the Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">After Clinton lost the 2016 election, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209293\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/entertainment\/pete-davidson-becoming-dad-changed-how-he-views-fathers-death-911\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Davidson posted an angry pro-Clinton message<\/a> and later got a tattoo of the former Secretary of State, calling her his &#8220;hero.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In an interview <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209294\" href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/film\/features\/pete-davidson-interview-ariana-grande-kim-kardashian-fatherhood-1236877622\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">with Variety<\/a> that was published Wednesday, Davidson discussed how he is in the process of removing nearly all of his almost 200 tattoos.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/newsletters?cmpid=fnfirstnl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">GET ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BY CLICKING HERE<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;One, they were f&#8212;-n&#8217; horrible,&#8221; he said of his tattoos. &#8220;Two, it was a business decision. I hated coming into the makeup trailer three hours early to spray-paint over horrible f&#8212;-n&#8217; tattoos. And third, I was like, \u2018I\u2019m not this dude.\u2019 I got these when I was in an immense amount of pain and I was trying to show people my pain.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Davidson admitted that some of his tattoos were a result of his past struggles with self-harm, saying he initially used the ink to cover scars.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I used to cut, so some of [the tattoos] covered up the cuts,&#8221; he told Variety.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209296\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/entertainment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">LIKE WHAT YOU&#8217;RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/hillary-clinton-92ny.jpg\" alt=\"Hillary Clinton at 92NY\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Davidson is removing most of his 200 tattoos but vowed to keep his Hillary Clinton ink. (Dominik Bindl\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">However, Davidson confirmed that he would be keeping his Clinton tattoo despite removing most of his other ink.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_entertainment_article_main-content_article-body_6_8209297\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/entertainment\/entertainment-quizzes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">PUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST AND SEE HOW YOU SCORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;She stays,&#8221; he said of the tattoo depicting Clinton in a power suit on his right leg.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;That\u2019s my dog,&#8221; Davidson added of Clinton. &#8220;I love Hillary, man. She\u2019s awesome and a good friend.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ashley Hume is an entertainment journalist for Fox News Digital and Fox Business who covers breaking news, celebrity culture, major industry events and the business of entertainment.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Pete Davidson didn\u2019t hold back while delivering a blunt message&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361563,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2574,157,5520,9,56,63,65,64,9374,1869,82],"class_list":["post-361562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-comedy","tag-entertainment","tag-jimmy-kimmel","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-pete-davidson","tag-tv","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}