While Zohran Mamdani has plenty of supporters in New York, he also has his fair share of detractors. Some critics have raised fair points about his policies and stances, but others just spout off nonsense with little substance. Among those in the latter camp is actor Michael Rapaport. If you don’t recognize the name, that’s not too surprising. He isn’t exactly a well-known celebrity. In fact, many would say his popularity has long since faded.
Regardless, Rapaport recently decided it would be a great idea to post a short video ranting about Mamdani. He seems to really dislike the guy. Now, you might expect he’d bring up some fiery but valid criticisms. But no. The entire video is basically him complaining that Mamdani smiles too much.
Michael Rapaport didn’t even get Mamdani’s name right, calling him “Zofran” or “Zomam” or something along those lines. Rapaport kept asking, over and over again, why Mamdani smiles so much. According to him, if Mamdani really believes things are as bad as he says, whether in New York, the country, or the government, then what’s he smiling about? He hammered the point repeatedly, throwing in plenty of curse words for emphasis.
Then came the dramatic closer. “You think you’re going to become the mayor of New York City on my watch? I guarantee you, you ain’t gonna win.” He also added that while Mamdani might be good at TikTok, so was he.
The internet didn’t exactly take Rapaport’s side. Many people mocked the video, calling it more cringe than compelling. Viewers found it both hilarious and bizarre that his only argument against Zohran Mamdani seemed to be his dislike of the man’s smile. Considering how often politicians smile in public, it was an oddly specific complaint.
One user commented, “He does that super clever thing all racists do by pretending not to know or pronounce his name. This angry ’cause he smiles?” Others speculated that Rapaport posted the video just to stir up attention. Some weren’t surprised by his comments at all, calling him a “staunch Zionist.” One person bluntly wrote, “F-list actor, more like.”
There were also users expressing disappointment, reflecting on how far Rapaport has fallen. “I can’t believe I used to kind of like him. Ewwww. Ridin’ hard for Zionism,” someone wrote. Others took issue with his strange declaration about not letting Mamdani become mayor, questioning why he even thought he had the authority to say something like that.
As one Redditor put it, “Ironically, they’re giving Zohran the Trump treatment, and it’s going to have the same result. Bad publicity is still publicity. If anything, they’re just giving him more name recognition.”
