A conservative comedian's merciless set at a New York fundraising roast has ignited a firestorm, and her critics are proving her point.
Arynne Wexler took the stage at Commentary Magazine's annual fundraising roast on November 8, an event honoring former Israeli Ambassador to the United States and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. Rather than focus on the guest of honor, she trained her sharpest barbs on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, according to Gateway Pundit.
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist and a darling of the progressive movement, has drawn growing scrutiny from conservatives since taking office. Wexler's routine, which she later posted online, made clear she had little interest in pulling punches.
She opened by dubbing Mamdani "The Grand Mufti of New York City," signaling that her target was not only his policies but the ideology many critics see behind them. She then joked that the mayor and his wife, Rama Duwaji, listen to old speeches by Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as their "foreplay."
Wexler next turned to how the couple met, noting that they connected on the dating app Hinge. Mamdani and Duwaji have said they met on Hinge in 2021. That set up her most incendiary line of the night.
"I assumed he bought her when she was 12Guys, relax," Wexler cracked, before delivering the twist. "I'm kidding. She was 13!"
The audience erupted in laughter at multiple points as she pressed on. "They actually met on JDate, except the J stands for Jihad," she said, drawing another roar from the crowd.
The clip has since been viewed millions of times on X, and the reaction has split sharply along political lines. British broadcaster Piers Morgan condemned the routine as "Disgusting," while Daniel B. Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, wrote, "This is disgusting."
Conservatives were quick to come to Wexler's defense. Commentator Will Chamberlain argued that she "did nothing wrong." Others noted that harsh, boundary-pushing material is the entire point of a roast.
Wexler was hardly the only conservative voice on the program. Ben Shapiro was also among the evening's roasters, and the event drew a crowd accustomed to sharp political humor aimed at the Left.
Her defenders argue the double standard is glaring. Comedians who savage President Donald Trump and his supporters are routinely celebrated as brave truth-tellers, yet a conservative woman mocking a powerful progressive politician is treated as a scandal.
For many on the right, the episode underscores a growing willingness among conservative performers to confront radical figures head-on. They see humor as a way to puncture the self-seriousness of a political class that polite media rarely dares to mock.
Whatever one makes of the jokes, Wexler's set has already accomplished what every roast aims for. It has the whole country talking.
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