Emily Ratajkowski is facing backlash after posting what many critics called an offensive and inappropriate Instagram tribute to New York City’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani. The 34-year-old actress and model shared a carousel post that quickly drew outrage, with users labeling it “disrespectful,” “cringe,” and even “horrifying.”
The post, captioned “Mamdani’s New York!!”, opened with a video of Ratajkowski twerking inside a local bodega. The following slide showed her wearing a hijab inside what appeared to be a mosque, reportedly Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Additional images included a cropped white-shirt photo and a final snapshot of her walking through the city with her son, Sylvester Apollo Bear.
Many viewers took issue with the sharp contrast between the twerking clip and the mosque image, accusing her of trivializing and disrespecting Islamic symbols. Comments poured in calling the sequence “rage bait,” “tone-deaf,” and “deeply disrespectful to the hijab.” Some fans even announced they were unfollowing her, while others expressed disappointment despite previously supporting her.
One commenter wrote that the mosque shown was located in their hometown and urged her to show basic respect, while others said the juxtaposition of the images crossed a line. Several noted that while they admired her, the post felt insensitive and unnecessary.
Ratajkowski has previously shown strong political engagement. She publicly endorsed Zohran Mamdani during last year’s Democratic mayoral primary, encouraging young voters to rank him first and describing him as the future of the Democratic Party. In earlier years, she also openly supported Bernie Sanders during his 2020 presidential campaign, praising his consistency and advocacy for women’s healthcare.
Despite her history of political activism, reactions to the “Mamdani’s New York!!” post suggest that many followers felt this particular message missed the mark.
