The TikTok dance Ramy Youssef performed as Zohran Mamdani on the season premier of \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d looked less like a Zohran-ism and more like something a boomer would do to try to appeal to the kids \u2013 which is maybe just what SNL is now. Last week\u2019s cold open parodied the New York City mayor\u2019s meeting at Gracie Mansion with President Donald Trump, and some weren\u2019t sold by the impression. It\u2019s not the first time SNL spoofed our local elected officials, so City & State revisited some of the most memorable impressions of New York politicians in the show\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
Ramy Youssef as Zohran Mamdani<\/p>\n
Appearances: Two<\/p>\n
What they got right: The perma-grin, and message discipline. (Who would have thought we\u2019d see a Sunnyside Yard reference on SNL?)What they got wrong: There are a dozen ways SNL could have lampooned Mamdani\u2019s media strategy, but the man doesn\u2019t do TikTok dances. Doesn\u2019t land!<\/p>\n
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Miles Teller as Andrew Cuomo<\/p>\n
Appearances: One (Pete Davidson also had at least four appearances as Cuomo.)<\/p>\n
What they got right: A new mispronunciation of \u201cZohran Mamdani\u201d at every turn. \u201cMy opponent, Norbert Damndaniel, is inexperienced and frankly, a nepo baby. Whereas my dad was just governor of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
What they got wrong: The Queens accent isn\u2019t totally there, but Teller gave it his best shot.<\/p>\n
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Chris Redd as Eric Adams<\/p>\n
Appearances: At least two, but bonus points for appearing with Adams himself at the Inner Circle Show<\/p>\n
What they got right: When Adams took office in 2022, the city was still rebounding from COVID-19. It\u2019s easy to forget how much he tried to will away the city\u2019s ills on swagger alone, but Redd\u2019s debut sold it so well, Adams apparently became a fan himself.<\/p>\n
What they got wrong: The mocking disdain for the press corps is on point, but his nicknames for reporters (\u201cweird Slim Shady,\u201d \u201cPrincess Peach\u201d) are a little too affectionate.<\/p>\n
Watch here: https:\/\/www.nbc.com\/saturday-night-live\/video\/eric-adams-press-conference\/971205543<\/a><\/p>\n Kate McKinnon as Rudy Giuliani<\/p>\n Appearances: At least 13, far surpassing the four other cast members who took on Rudy<\/p>\n What they got right: The delusional commitment to Trump\u2019s election denial in 2020. \u201cIn Michigan, we demanded a recount. In Wisconsin, we have demanded a decount. We called backsies in Nevada, we got safety in Arizona, and in Georgia: opposite day.\u201d<\/p>\n What they got wrong: McKinnon\u2019s portrayal gets the zany parts right, but doesn’t capture the stunning self-sabotage Giuliani did to his previously fairly strong local reputation in the Trump era.<\/p>\n \n Chris Farley as Andrew Giuliani<\/p>\n Appearances: At least two<\/p>\n What they got right: Farley, an absurdly physical performer, was the perfect choice to play an overzealous kid shoving his way into the spotlight.<\/p>\n What they got wrong: There are rare instances in which life is stranger than sketch, and 7-year-old Andrew\u2019s fist-pumping, kiss-blowing, speech-stealing performance is one not even Farley could match.<\/p>\n \n Bowen Yang as George Santos<\/p>\n Appearances: At least eight<\/p>\n What they got right: Obviously, the compulsive lying. In a sketch about being expelled from Congress, Yang said, \u201cSo I\u2019m no longer \u2018Congressman Santos.\u2019 I\u2019m just regular old professor major general reverend astronaut Santos, protector of the realm, princess of Genovia.\u201d And Santos did live his life like a \u201cScandal in the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n What they got wrong: We could fact-check, or rank,<\/a> all of Santos\u2019 lies, and we have, but he\u2019s now out of prison and, this is true, currently on reality TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n John Mulaney as Harvey Epstein<\/p>\n Appearances: One<\/p>\n What they got right: No one outside of political circles knows who Harvey Epstein is, so better safe than sorry to clarify he is neither Harvey Weinstein nor Jeffrey Epstein. Mulaney\u2019s frustrated delivery landed the joke, while the inclusion of Epstein\u2019s understated hoop earring proved the show\u2019s eye for detail.<\/p>\n What they got wrong: Epstein, already an Assembly member and running in an uncompetitive general election at the time the sketch aired, had absolutely nothing to worry about despite Mulaney\u2019s declaration that \u201cthe name thing has become a bit of an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Sarah Sherman as Chuck Schumer<\/p>\n Appearances: One<\/p>\n What they got right: The look, the accent, the hair, the glasses, Sarah Sherman had Chuck Schumer down pat.<\/p>\n What they got wrong: In the sketch, Schumer is arguing about his DoorDash order, which would be impossible for him to place on his outdated flip phone.<\/p>\n \n Fred Armisen as David Paterson<\/p>\n Appearances: At least 11<\/p>\n What they got right: Paterson is still out here looking for election drama<\/a> in 2026, just as Armisen\u2019s Paterson did in a \u201cWeekend Update\u201d segment (that Paterson himself later joined) about the race to succeed him as governor. \u201cThe Democrat in me wants (Andrew) Cuomo, but the trainwreck in me identifies with (Carl) Paladino.\u201d<\/p>\n What they got wrong: Pretty much every sketch in which Armisen played Paterson included insensitive jokes about Paterson being legally blind, which \u2013 apart from drawing backlash from disability advocacy groups \u2013 didn\u2019t reflect any reality of Paterson\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n \n Phil Hartman as Mario Cuomo<\/p>\n Appearances: Two<\/p>\n What they got right: Phil Hartman\u2019s overdone New York accent as he tries to argue, like all the other candidates, that he\u2019s not a good candidate for president in 1992. And New York\u2019s economy wasn\u2019t in great shape at the time, which Hartman mentions.<\/p>\n What they got wrong: One of the biggest laughs was Hartman declaring, \u201cI have mob ties!\u201d For years, there had been rumors about Cuomo\u2019s ties to the Mafia<\/a>, but those were never substantiated.<\/p>\n