Old Mamdani clip goes viral for Ugandan accent, draws criticism from Spencer Pratt
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: An old video of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, on Wednesday, August 5, exploded across social media, drawing millions of views and a wave of criticism over the accent he uses in the clip.
The footage, recorded years before Mamdani entered politics, has become the latest online controversy surrounding the mayor, with many questioning whether his accent changes depending on the audience.
Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate and reality TV star Spencer Pratt led the backlash, accusing Mamdani of putting on a “fake accent.”
fell down a mamdani rabbit hole and found this old interview from when he was on kaya fm in south africa. omg his ugandan accent is so thick here, i’m obsessed 🥹 pic.twitter.com/OxnXRfSnUP
— ً (@BALUCIAGA) August 4, 2026
Mamdani's Ugandan accent raises eyebrows
The video had been sitting in the past for years. The internet, apparently, had other plans.
Within hours of resurfacing, the clip had crossed more than 4 million views, with viewers dissecting Mamdani’s accent and comparing it with how he speaks today.
In the old footage, Mamdani speaks with a pronounced Ugandan accent.
That has prompted a flood of posts accusing him of switching accents depending on who he is speaking to or what audience he is addressing.
The criticism has quickly moved beyond simple curiosity about the video.
Look at theater kid commie Mamdani running another fake accent and appropriating African culture. Communists are all frauds. EVERY single one. Don't ever trust a communist, or else you'll get Galloway'd and stranded in a gulag. pic.twitter.com/pqZd5Tdn2p
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) August 5, 2026
Spencer Pratt was among the loudest voices to jump into the controversy.
Pratt described Mamdani as a “fraud” and accused him of “running another fake accent” and “appropriating African culture.”
Pratt’s post quickly became part of the wider conversation, with other users piling on.
Mamdami, AOC and Jasmine Crockett must have all gone to the same speech classes.
— The Seed (@theseed59788459) August 5, 2026
One commenter compared Mamdani with Democratic politicians Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett, claiming they had essentially learned the same approach to public speaking.
Another accused Mamdani of being able to “turn accents on and off.”
A separate post claimed that politicians change the way they speak to suit their audiences.
Seems demoncrats do the same exact thing. They change accents to fit their audience. They're all frauds and criminals and the demoncrat commy party needs to be dismantled
— Frankie Pellegrino (@FrankiePell3) August 5, 2026
Story behind Mamdani's viral clip
The video dates to 2016, when Mamdani was working in the entertainment industry rather than campaigning for public office.
He was a music supervisor on Disney’s 'Queen of Katwe', directed by his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair.
The movie followed the real-life story of Ugandan chess player Phiona Mutesi, who grew up in Kampala’s Katwe neighborhood before rising to national prominence in chess.
That period also belonged to Mamdani’s music career. Before entering politics, he performed as a rapper using the stage names 'Young Cardamom' and 'Mr Cardamom'.
Today, however, Mamdani is being judged through a completely different lens.
His public image is now inseparable from his political identity, making an old entertainment interview look very different to audiences encountering it for the first time.
That is what has turned a piece of footage from nearly a decade ago into fresh political ammunition.
(This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.)
