FLASHBACK: Keffiyeh-Clad Zohran Mamdani Yearned For More Feminist Remakes Of Beloved Action Movies In Resurfaced Clip
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, dressed in traditional Middle Eastern costume, appeared to tell a comedian on YouTube that several action films should get feminist remakes, according to a 2020 video clip that resurfaced Tuesday.
Comedian Ryan Long posted a 20-second excerpt on Tuesday on The video was posted online and likely recorded when Mamdani, an avowed socialist, was first running for the New York State Assembly and went viral on (RELATED: ‘Those Who Can Quit the Will’: Mamdani, ‘Partner in Hammer and Sickle’ for a Rude Awakening, Says Country Vet)
Mamdani, apparently younger, told Long that a reboot of “Bad Boys,” an R-rated action comedy franchise starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, “would be fun” with “two women in the lead roles.” The young interview subject prominently wore a red and white keffiyeh around his neck, a Middle Eastern scarf widely associated with Palestinian nationalism and far-left politics.
“Who are the others that you think should create a male version and just replace them with females and push them up? » Followed for a long time.
“Rush Hour,” the keffiyeh-clad man, appearing to be Mamdani, responded, naming a trio of buddy cop films starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
WATCH:
Holy shit in 2020, I asked Zohran Mamdani what other films women should make again with Female Leads and I didn’t realize it 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/GIbeJVnAQq
– Ryan Long (@ryanlongcomedy) December 30, 2025
“What would that give women? ‘Never touch a black girl’s radio,’ that sort of thing?” asked Long, referencing an iconic line uttered by Tucker in the first “Rush Hour” movie.
Mamdani seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before responding: “I can’t really talk about it. » The then-28-year-old politician then upset an incumbent congresswoman in the five-term Democratic Primary – launching his career in electoral politics – just five months after Long posted the comedic video on his YouTube channel. Mamdani won his race with the support of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
A spokesperson for Mamdani did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Long said at the start of the pre-COVID pandemic video that the premise of interviewing men on the street was motivated by the poorly received female-led reboots of “Ghostbusters” and “Men in Black” in the late 2010s.
“It’s not about getting people to watch them, obviously, they all bomb,” Long told another of her interviewees about the feminist remakes. “It’s more about just doing it.”
The “Rush Hour” franchise made headlines in late November when reports surfaced alleging that President Donald Trump had successfully forced Paramount to distribute a fourth installment in the franchise, which was last released in theaters in 2007.
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