New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani says he was shocked when producers of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert allegedly pitched him a “game” to get his thoughts on the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
“I just couldn’t believe what was happening,” Mamdani told The New Yorker about the alleged incident, which he claims occurred during his June 24 appearance on the show. “That a genocide could be distilled into a late-night game.”
The outlet reported that before Mamdani and city comptroller Brad Lander went on stage to speak with host Stephen Colbert, producers entered the greenroom to discuss the show’s questions for the candidates. Earlier that day, a group of prominent Jewish figures, including Elisha Wiesel, the son of Elie Wiesel, had reportedly sent a letter to Colbert demanding that he ask Mamdani about his views on Israel.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube
Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander on ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’
“According to people who were in the room, one of the producers suggested a ‘thumbs-up or thumbs-down’ segment: Thumbs up or thumbs down: Hamas. Thumbs up or thumbs down: a Palestinian state,'” individuals who were in the room recalled in the story.
The reported suggestion was a radical change from what had been discussed before. Producers had previously held a prep call with Mamdani to run through sample questions covering “political topics, such as the meaning of democratic socialism,” The New Yorker reported.
In response, Mamdani adviser Zara Rahim reportedly told the Late Show team, “You have the first Muslim candidate for mayor in the history of New York. You don’t want to ask him a question about that?”
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Viewers who caught the episode will remember that the reported game did not happen and the interview unfolded as previously planned. But during the segment — in a moment that sparked a lot of discourse — Colbert asked Lander and Mamdani whether they thought Israel had the right to exist.
“I support the vision of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” Lander answered.
When the question was posed to Mamdani, he responded, “Yes, like all nations, I believe it has a right to exist. And a responsibility, also, to uphold international law.”
BG048/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Zohran Mamdani in August 2025
CBS declined to comment and representatives for Mamdani did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment.
On Tuesday, the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that led to what critics and the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory have declared a genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Mamdani released a statement calling for peace.
“This must end,” he said. “The occupation and apartheid must end. Peace must be pursued through diplomacy, not war crimes, and our government must act to end these atrocities and hold those responsible to account.”
His statement came just days before Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed on a first phase of a ceasefire deal. The agreement will include the release of hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from some areas in Gaza.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is currently the front-runner for New York City mayor, with his closest challenger being formerly disgraced mayor Andrew Cuomo. New York City voters will elect their next mayor on Nov. 4.
Watch Mamdani and Lander’s appearance on The Late Show above.
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