Watch: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani crashes The Tonight Show with a ‘frozen rent’ joke

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made a surprise late-night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, briefly stepping into the spotlight during the host’s opening monologue.

The unexpected walk-on marked Mamdani’s first appearance on a late-night talk show since taking office earlier this month. While he had previously appeared on programs such as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Daily Show before winning the mayoral race last November, this was his first cameo as New York City’s newly inaugurated mayor.




Mamdani’s appearance was tied to a recurring cold-weather gag Fallon has been running for weeks. Since early December, the host has repeatedly joked about how frigid New York City has become, often invoking the mayor in his punchlines. With the city recently hit by a major snowstorm and plunging temperatures, the timing proved apt.

After Fallon delivered another round of his familiar “It’s so cold…” setup, Mamdani walked onstage to deliver his own punchline, joking that the freezing temperatures had caused New York City rent to stop rising. The line drew laughter from the audience before the mayor struck a more serious tone, urging viewers to stay indoors, keep warm, and remain safe amid the severe weather.



What stood out most, however, was the standing ovation and extended applause Mamdani received as he entered the frame.

The cameo came during a high-profile early stretch of Mamdani’s tenure. The snowstorm marked one of his first major challenges in office, and he has drawn attention for maintaining a visible presence across the city, including public briefings, media appearances, and visits to affected neighbourhoods.

One such appearance came during a news conference on Sunday, as the storm swept into the city. Mamdani urged residents to stay home and offered suggestions for how they might spend their time indoors.

“The snow is coming down heavily across our city, and I can think of no better excuse for New Yorkers to stay home, take a long nap, or take advantage of our public library’s offer of free access to ‘Heated Rivalry’ on e-book or audiobook for anyone with a library card,” he said. According to the New York Public Library, thousands of New Yorkers took the mayor up on his suggestion. The library made an unlimited number of copies of the series available on its app on Saturday, and since then, Heated Rivalry has been downloaded more than 5,000 times.

Altogether, the six books in the series have been downloaded more than 13,000 times. “We expect this number to continue to climb,” Ms. Tribone said.