A resurfaced Zohran Mamdani Uganda accent clip from a 2016 radio interview set off a new round of criticism Wednesday, as conservative voices on social media accused the New York City mayor of sounding different while discussing his Ugandan background during a promotion for his mother’s film.
The interview aired on South Africa’s Kaya 959 radio station while Mamdani was promoting Queen of Katwe, the Disney film directed by his mother, Mira Nair. In the clip, Mamdani talks about Ugandan culture, dance and music and says he is from Uganda while also noting that he grew up in New York. He described a contrast between the two places, saying New York dancers can be more hesitant while people in Kampala are always dancing.
The clip spread again online and drew mockery from a number of conservative commentators and accounts. Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt posted that Mamdani was running another fake accent and accused him of appropriating African culture. Benny Johnson, host of The Benny Show, called the accent obviously fake and tied the episode to a broader critique of Democrats. Tara Bull, a conservative commentator, wrote that Mamdani’s accent appeared to change. The Daily Wire also weighed in with a post claiming Democrats often use fake accents. Kevin Smith, host of Loud Majority Live, and the right-wing site Conservative Brief made similar claims on X. Fox News Digital also sought comment from the mayor’s office.
The controversy is not the first time the interview has circulated. The same clip resurfaced last year before making the rounds again this week, showing how quickly an old media appearance can become a fresh political flashpoint once it lands in the social media bloodstream. That kind of online replay has become common in modern politics, where short video clips are stripped from their original setting and judged instantly by partisan audiences.
