Late-night television host Jimmy Fallon has found himself at the centre of a minor controversy after being caught delivering the same joke about incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on three separate occasions within days.
The Joke That Kept on Coming
The NBC star, 51, first cracked the comparable line during his monologue on December 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 quipped to his audience.
Seemingly unaware of the repetition, he delivered a nearly identical version a week later on December 16, stating, "It is so cold in New York, I saw a Wall Street stockbroker spooning with Zohran Mamdani." The recurrence led some viewers to question if it was an intentional callback.
However, the joke made a third appearance the very next night, December 17, with Fallon presenting it as a fresh, off-the-cuff remark: "It is so cold, walking to work, I saw a Wall Street stockbroker spooning with Zohran Mamdani."
Political Context and Fallout
The compilation of all three instances, first reported by LateNighter and posted to X, quickly amassed over two million views. The recycled gag lampoons the already tenuous relationship between Mamdani and New York's business community.
The 33-year-old former state assemblyman, who will become New York's first Muslim mayor when sworn in next month, ran a campaign promising to raise corporate taxes and clamp down on billionaires. A revenue proposal he authored recommends an additional 2 percent tax on income exceeding $1 million.
His political stance contributed to an upset victory over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in November. However, it has also made some Jewish New Yorkers and members of the Democratic party hesitant to embrace him, partly due to his outspoken support for Palestine.
The controversy around Mamdani's team deepened this week when his director of appointments, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, resigned on Thursday after antisemitic social media posts she made over a decade ago were revealed.
A Shifting Landscape for Late-Night Comedy?
Fallon, known for being far less politically pointed than some of his peers, may be operating in a changing environment for late-night television. Professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University suggested to the Daily Mail in September that there is a clear shift away from the politically charged comedy that dominated the past decade.
He pointed to the cancellation of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert—set to air its final episode in May—and the temporary pulling of Jimmy Kimmel's show after comments about Charlie Kirk as indicators. "Meyers is the one guy doing this type of comedy who hasn't been fired yet. These last stories indicate that era is over," Thompson stated.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel has since secured a contract extension, suggesting the future of the genre remains in flux as hosts navigate the boundaries of political satire and audience appetite.
