Fact Check: Did Jon Stewart denounce Mamdani and call him a ‘communist’?

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A viral rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that comedian Jon Stewart denounced New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and accused him of being a communist. The claim has drawn strong reactions online, with many users appearing to believe the comedian had turned against Mamdani, prompting questions about its authenticity.

The claim spread after an X post alleged that Stewart had publicly criticized Mamdani and rejected his political views. However, there is no credible evidence that Stewart made the remarks attributed to him.

Claim: Jon Stewart denounced Zohran Mamdani

According to the viral post that surfaced on X, Stewart joined Robert De Niro and Whoopi Goldberg in publicly denouncing what he allegedly called the “obviously communist ideals” of Mamdani.

“He isn’t what we thought he was,” Stewart allegedly told his audience. “We voted for democratic socialism, not communism. He’s taking money from hard-working New Yorkers and giving it away rather than making good on his promise to lower costs.”

The comedian purportedly admitted that he was “ashamed” that he was so easily fooled, stating, “At least we know better now.”

The post garnered tens of thousands of views and was amplified by several other accounts on X. Comments under the post showed that some users appeared to believe the claim, while others called for it to be fact-checked.

Fact Check: No evidence supports the Jon Stewart claim

However, the claim is false. There is no credible evidence that Stewart publicly denounced Mamdani or called him a communist.

The additional claim that Robert De Niro and Whoopi Goldberg also publicly denounced Mamdani is similarly baseless and is not supported by the available evidence.

A review of recent episodes of Stewart’s show, including his interview with Mamdani, does not show any segment in which the comedian denounced the New York City mayor.

There are also no official remarks, statements or social media posts from Stewart supporting the comments attributed to him in the viral post.

A search for credible reporting on the alleged remarks also did not produce reports supporting the claim.

Jon Stewart questioned Zohran Mamdani about socialist allies

Stewart did discuss Mamdani’s political views during an episode of his podcast, 'The Weekly Show.' However, the conversation did not contain the denunciation described in the viral post.

During the interview, Stewart asked Mamdani, “So are there tenets of those that are kind of following in the wake of Zohran Mamdani's success that you're not comfortable with or that give you pause?”

“If you have more than one socialist in a roomroom and there isn't disagreement, then you don't have more than one socialist in a room,” Mamdani replied.

He went on to say, “Well, I'm comfortable with disagreement, and I'm comfortable with disagreement that doesn't end the conversation entirely because I think what motivates a lot of people is, ‘How do you deliver public safety?"

The exchange shows Stewart questioning Mamdani about his political movement and its allies, but it does not support the viral claim that the comedian denounced him as a communist.