Photo: Todd Owyoung/NBC
As first reported by LateNighter: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made a walk-on appearance during Monday night’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Mamdani appeared briefly during Fallon’s monologue—marking his first late-night TV appearance since his inauguration early this month. (Mamdani previously appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Daily Show, prior to winning the city’s mayoral race in November.)
Mamdani’s cameo arrived amid a weeks-long running gag on Fallon’s show involving the Democratic Socialist mayor. Over the past six weeks, Jimmy Fallon has repeatedly returned to the same cold-weather punchline, first delivered on Dec. 9: “It was so cold in New York City this morning, walking to work, I saw a Wall Street stockbroker spooning with Zohran Mamdani.” Fallon has repeated the joke multiple times since, most recently last Thursday.
As such, it was only fitting that with his whirlwind visit on the heels of the tri-state area getting walloped by a snowstorm and frigid temps, Mamdani got in on the joke.
After Fallon rattled off several riffs on the “It’s so cold…” premise, Mamdani walked out to say, “It’s so cold in New York City, the rent froze itself.
“But seriously…,” the mayor warmly added, addressing the audience and those watching at home. “Stay inside, stay warm, stay safe.”
‘The Tonight Show’ welcomed NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani to cap Jimmy Fallon’s run of “It’s so cold…” jokes. pic.twitter.com/dXmV38wGAM
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) January 27, 2026
The mayor’s walk-on came in the wake of New York City’s biggest snowstorm in years. An early test of his leadership, the mayor has drawn attention for his highly visible response, which included live television appearances, press briefings, and on-the-ground visits in hard-hit neighborhoods.
In addition to Mamdani’s drop-in, Monday’s Tonight Show will also saw Fallon welcome fellow SNL alum Pete Davidson and Paris Hilton.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs weeknights at 11:35 pm ET/PT on NBC, with episodes streaming the following day on Peacock.
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