Five days after Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City, actor, podcaster and lifelong NYC resident Michael Rapaport announced that he will be running for the office in 2029 to remove the Democratic Socialist, whom he referred to as a “stain at the helm.”
Rapaport, 55, has appeared in dozens of films and television series as an actor over the past 35 years. However, he may be best known for his role as Phoebe Buffay’s cop boyfriend, Gary, in season five of Friends. He dropped the news of his future mayoral bid at the end of the latest episode of his I Am Rapaport Stereo Podcast.
“Let me tell you something, guys, girls, women, children of all ages. 2025 was crazy, and I don’t see it getting any fucking calmer or cooler in 2026, the way things started. That’s why I’m running for mayor,” he said toward the end of the hourlong episode.
The actor previously posted on Instagram about his City Hall dreams on Thursday in what he called a “special announcement.” As he did on his podcast and in the months since Mamdani’s announcement of his mayoral campaign, Rapaport forcefully shared his opinions on the new mayor’s political stances and public demeanor.
“I, Michael Rapaport, am running for Mayor of New York City — 2029. Born. Raised. NYC. Nothing’s free. No bullshit. No fake grins. I’ll own my mistakes, apologize when I screw up, and fight to make this city safe, affordable, and thriving. You got Zoron the Moron now…Mayor Rapaport is coming. How do you like apples? 🍎🗽,” he wrote in an additional Instagram post.
Mamdani’s campaign has taken the city by storm since its inception, as he captured anti-Donald Trump sentiment and proposed a series of fresh but difficult-to-budget-for proposals, including a city-wide rent freeze, free and fast buses, and city-run supermarkets with lower prices, roundly defeating potential comeback candidate Andrew Cuomo to be on track for an all but assured win in the general election in November.
Rapaport has become a leading voice in the anti-Mamdani camp, frequently railing against him as a candidate for his stance on Israel’s operation in Gaza and initial refusal to declare that Hamas should disarm, his choice of sushi restaurants and his belief that the candidate was faking his working-class bona fides. A wave of Islamophobia hit the Mamdani campaign when he was declared the race’s frontrunner, and on Monday, Rapaport continued the fearmongering around Mamdani’s first term in office.
“We have a shit stain at the helm right now in New York City, and it is a reality. It is a fucking reality. I think he’s going to supersede our wildest fears and expectations. Zohran the Zero, Zohran the Ziophobe, he is going to supersede all our fears and expectations.”
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to representatives for Rapaport and to the New York Mayor’s office to seek additional comment and a reaction to the news, but did not hear back.
On his podcast, Rapaport conceded that New York will not immediately descend into a hellscape now that the new mayor is seated. But he did bring up his issue with how Mamdani smiles at the electorate.
“Do I think people are going to be getting chased around New York City with pitchforks? No, but he is softening the palate for so many fucking things. He’s got a huge fucking ego,” he said. “He’s got a fucking evil fucking grin. And I think he’s up to no good.”
