New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing renewed criticism from conservatives after a resurfaced radio interview prompted accusations that he adopted a “fake Ugandan accent” while discussing a Disney movie directed by his mother.
The footage comes from a 2016 interview Mamdani gave to South Africa’s Kaya 959 radio station while promoting Queen of Katwe, the Disney film directed by his mother, Mira Nair.
During the interview, Mamdani discussed his connection to both Uganda and New York and compared the nightlife and dancing cultures he experienced in the two places.
“The difference for me is I’m from Uganda, but I also grew up in New York,” Mamdani said.
“In New York, you go out, some guys are very hesitant to dance,” he continued. “You know, if they’re not grinding, they’re just standing.”
Mamdani then contrasted that experience with nightlife in Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
“In Kampala, you will just not find that,” Mamdani said. “People are all dancing. Everybody’s dancing, men, women, and it’s fantastic that way.”
Although the interview previously resurfaced last year, footage began circulating widely on social media again Wednesday.
Conservative commentators seized on Mamdani’s manner of speaking in the clip, arguing that his accent sounded noticeably different from the voice he typically uses during public appearances in New York.
Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt was among those who attacked Mamdani over the footage.
“Look at theater kid commie Mamdani running another fake accent and appropriating African culture,” Pratt wrote on X.
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson similarly accused the mayor of deliberately changing his voice during the interview.
“UNEARTHED: Zohran Mamdani does an obviously fake Ugandan accent while promoting a Disney movie based in Africa,” Johnson wrote on X. “How many Democrats have been caught using fake accents at this point? They’re all frauds.”
Commentator Tara Bull also weighed in, asking her followers whether they noticed a change.
“Anyone else notice Mamdani’s accent change? He must’ve studied at Obama University,” Bull wrote.
Others attempted to turn the controversy against Mamdani by referencing debates over cultural appropriation, according to Trending Politics.
Former Crazy Eddie chief financial officer Sammy Antar questioned whether Mamdani had ever explained “when adopting another culture’s accent is ‘cultural appropriation’ and when it is ‘authenticity.’”
Loud Majority Live host Kevin Smith also criticized Mamdani’s connection to the Disney production, accusing him of hypocrisy over his criticism of large corporations.
“When did Disney start to suck? When they hired the directors son who had a fake Ugandan accent,” Smith wrote.
The accusation that Mamdani was using a fake Ugandan accent represents the interpretation of his conservative critics. The source does not establish that Mamdani deliberately fabricated or adopted an accent during the interview.
Mamdani has substantial personal ties to Uganda.
He was born in Kampala and holds both U.S. and Ugandan citizenship. He also spent part of his childhood in South Africa before his family moved to New York City when he was 7 years old.
His mother, acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, directed Queen of Katwe, which was released by Disney in 2016.
The film tells the story of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan chess player who rose from poverty in Kampala to compete internationally.
Mamdani was directly involved in his mother’s production, working as a music supervisor and third assistant director. He also briefly appeared on screen.
