Six years before Eric Adams became mayor of New York City, he was romancing a woman he would later hire to be one of his own City Hall staffers.
“I mean there was a moment where he was like, ‘yeah, you’re going to be my wife,’” recalled Jasmine Ray, the author of the forthcoming book, “Political Humanity,” which details what she called her “hidden relationship” with Adams.
Ray sat down with the NBC New York I-Team for her first TV interview since stepping down as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sports, Wellness, and Recreation. She said continues to have a friendship with the mayor, but her physical relationship with Adams lasted only about six months and ended by the beginning of 2016.
“He ended it,” she said. “In front of him, I said OK. And then I went to my car and I was boo-hooing like a baby,” Ray said.
Contacted by the I-Team, Kayla Mamelak, a City Hall spokesperson, confirmed Ray and Adams had a personal relationship about a decade ago. But she stressed there had been no romantic engagements since the two started working together at City Hall.
In an advance copy of the book, provided by Ray, she writes fondly of Adams, suggesting the embattled mayor is a “flawed hero” who was unfairly damaged by a thin corruption case brought by the Biden Department of Justice and later withdrawn by prosecutors appointed by President Trump.
“When the 58-page indictment dropped, full of accusations about airline upgrades and straw donations, the charges themselves were relatively minor,” Ray wrote. “The press didn’t present them that way.”
Ray also writes about her own role as a reluctant witness in the federal investigation that dogged her boss.
In one passage, she details the mayor pulling her aside on October 10, 2024, and warning her about federal agents who might be monitoring her.
“You’re on a short list of people that have frequent contact with me. I just want you to be aware,” she wrote, quoting Adams.
Once investigators began contacting her, she said her life became traumatic.
“From October 2024 to March 2025, my life was hell,” Ray wrote. “I was subpoenaed four times, interrogated repeatedly, and gained 20 pounds from the stress.”
Despite writing that one of her lawyers viewed her as a “star witness” in the case against Adams, Ray said she remains perplexed about how any of the information she provided could have implicated her boss and former lover in any sort of criminal activity. Though prosecutors charged Adams with trading political favors in return for more than $100,000 in travel upgrades, Ray said she’s not sure the alleged conduct rose to the level of criminality — even if it was in bad taste.
“I don’t know if it’s illegal. I think it’s up to a judge to decide. I don’t know,” she said. “But it was tacky.”
Adams has denied wrongdoing related to federal corruption investigations and his lawyer suggested the travel perks were nothing more than courtesies that airlines and hotels offer to all sorts of notable people.
Last year, the I-Team first reported on Jasmine Ray, revealing she not only worked as a staffer for the mayor, but that Adams also obtained a conflict of interest waiver allowing Ray to have a second job as a consultant for Brooklyn’s Cornerstone Daycare, a childcare facility that has city contracts. City Hall defended the arrangement, saying Ray’s dual role showed her ability to lead a government office while also serving youth outside her public capacity.
Ray resigned her post in City Hall two days before Adams announced a suspension of his re-election campaign. She defended her record of accomplishments, including advocating to allow non-educators to coach public school athletic teams.
“We’re saying if you are Michael Jordan or Derek Jeter, you can’t even volunteer to coach our high school kids. That’s ridiculous,” Ray said.
In closing her book, she makes a broader appeal that the public should look beyond headlines and recognize politicians as vulnerable people who shouldn’t be defined by perceived mistakes.
“I wrote this book because I believe we need a new way forward—beyond cancel culture—toward something closer to accountability with compassion,” Ray wrote. “Political Humanity isn’t about power or perception. It’s about choosing to see the person beneath the title, the headline, the mistake.”
“Political Humanity” is scheduled to be released as an e-book or audio book on Oct. 5.