Former Will & Grace star Debra Messing faced significant criticism in November 2025. She shared a controversial Instagram story regarding New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Election Day.
Messing became more vocal about her political views after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in southern Israel. Her stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict put her at odds with Mamdani.
Mamdani stated that "the fight for Palestinian liberation" was at the "core" of his political philosophy. He had condemned the October 7 attack as a "horrendous war crime."
Messing supported Mamdani’s opponent, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. However, a specific meme she shared on her Instagram story drew major attention.
The post likened Mamdani to a "jihadist." Many social media users quickly condemned the meme.
Writer and podcaster Carey O’Donnell posted on X, "Debra Messing is a psycho." This tweet was later deleted.
Messing had been repeatedly vocal on social media about the New York City mayoral race. She revealed her early vote on Instagram on October 25, 2025.
She wrote, "I voted for @andrewcuomo because we need someone with experience for our city to be what it should be again." Messing called for a safe, thriving financial center with affordable housing and more police.
She added, "A social worker cannot help someone who has been stabbed on the subway." Messing criticized Mamdani’s age and attendance record.
"Our city is too big, complex, and relevant to have a 33-year-old who has never held a job and missed 80% of his votes as a city councilman," she stated. She concluded, "Maybe with more experience, but not now. Make your voice heard! Vote early! Every vote makes a difference!"
Mamdani secured the Democratic Party nomination in June 2025 with 43.82 percent of the total vote. He surprisingly beat Cuomo and community organizer Brad Lander in the primaries.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams chose not to run in the primaries. He later withdrew from the general election in September 2025.
On Election Day, the race was between Mamdani (Democrat), Cuomo (Independent), and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani ultimately won the New York City mayoral election with 50.04 percent. Cuomo received 41.6 percent, and Sliwa 7.1 percent.
Mamdani became the city’s first Muslim and Indian-American mayor. His mother is Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair, and his father is political commentator Mahmood Mamdani.
On Election Day, Messing shared a series of Instagram stories criticizing Mamdani. These included re-posting a meme from an account called The Persian Jewess.
The meme suggested the mayoral election offered a choice between "A Democrat. Just a Democrat" and "a real communist jihadist. A literal jihadist who quotes Karl Marx and hates America."
Webster’s Dictionary defines a jihadist as "a Muslim who advocates or participates" in "a holy war waged on behalf of Islam," known as jihad.
Messing received widespread backlash for sharing the meme that compared Mamdani to a "jihadist."
An X post noting Messing had "posted 100 Instagram stories in the last 24 hours" was viewed by over 1.9 million people. The post included a screenshot of the offensive meme.
Another X post mentioned Messing had "posted 91 Instagram stories in the last 24 hours." It stated, "I think Zohran has actually broken her brain, though it was not in good shape before this mayoral election. Still, it is fascinating albeit a bit disturbing to watch."
One X message, with over 98,000 interactions, suggested "Debra Messing’s meltdown is in full swing."
An X user commented, "For some reason, I punished myself by looking at Debra Messing’s Instagram and she has like 20 stories that are pure Islamophobia."
Not everyone disagreed with Messing. Some users claimed her overall criticism of the Mayor-elect was "absolutely correct."
Messing has not yet responded to the public criticism.