💥 Gutfeld Unleashed: “New York Just Hired a Woke Tribute Band — and They’re Not Cheap!”

In typical late-night fashion — sharp, biting, and unapologetically partisan — Fox News host Greg Gutfeld took aim at New York’s new mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, branding his historic victory as the latest episode in the city’s long-running “comedy of woke errors.”

“New York didn’t just elect a mayor,” Gutfeld sneered on Thursday night’s episode of Gutfeld!. “They hired a woke tribute band — all slogans, no rhythm, and definitely no refunds.”

The quip, delivered with his trademark smirk and timing that could slice glass, set the tone for what quickly turned into one of the show’s most talked-about monologues of the season.

🗽 “The City That Never Learns”

Gutfeld and his panel — including Kat Timpf, Tyrus, and Joe DeVito — dissected Mamdani’s upset win, which made headlines nationwide as a symbol of progressive resurgence in the post-pandemic political landscape. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman of Ugandan-Indian descent and self-described socialist, won the New York City mayoral race after promising to “reimagine policing,” “decarbonize the city’s economy,” and “center compassion in governance.”

To Gutfeld, those words were red meat.

“Compassion in governance? That’s adorable,” he said. “We tried that — it’s called 2020. It didn’t end well.”

As the studio audience erupted in laughter, co-host Kat Timpf chimed in with her own jab:

“At this point, New York should just rename itself ‘The People’s Republic of Starbucks.’ Every new mayor sounds like a podcast ad for guilt.”

The panel tore into Mamdani’s policy proposals, calling them “ideological cosplay” and warning that his brand of progressive politics could turn the nation’s largest city into “San Francisco 2.0 — but with worse pizza and better excuses.”

💰 “Not Cheap, Not Funny, and Not Sustainable”

What seemed to amuse Gutfeld most, however, wasn’t just Mamdani’s rhetoric — it was the price tag that might come with it.

“This is the part progressives never tell you,” Gutfeld said, pacing the stage. “Wokeness costs money. Every new program, every freebie, every TikTok-friendly initiative — they all come with a bill that you pay.”

He then flashed a graphic on-screen comparing New York’s budget projections under Mamdani’s proposed “Equity Expansion Plan” to the city’s already soaring debt.

“Look at this,” he said, gesturing dramatically. “They’re turning fiscal responsibility into a hate crime.”

Tyrus, the show’s muscle-bound comic voice of reason, leaned back in his chair and quipped, “The only thing getting defunded in New York is common sense.”

The audience roared.

📺 Late-Night Firestorm

Within minutes, Gutfeld’s remarks began trending on X (formerly Twitter) under the hashtags #Gutfeld and #WokeTributeBand, with clips from the broadcast racking up millions of views. Conservative viewers hailed it as “vintage Gutfeld” — equal parts punchline and political commentary.

“Greg said what every New Yorker is thinking but too scared to say out loud,” wrote one user. “We’re tired of the virtue-signaling. We want safety, sanity, and someone who doesn’t treat the NYPD like the enemy.”

But progressives fired back, accusing Gutfeld of resorting to “culture war caricatures” and “punching down on diversity.”

“Mocking Zohran Mamdani for being a young immigrant leader isn’t comedy — it’s fear,” wrote one political commentator on Threads.

The backlash didn’t faze Gutfeld, who has long built his brand on controversy. Since launching Gutfeld! in 2021, the Fox News show has repeatedly beaten legacy late-night programs like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live! in ratings — a feat once thought impossible for a cable news satire program.

“He’s a disruptor,” said media analyst Renee Torres. “Love him or hate him, Gutfeld’s audience tunes in because he says what others won’t — and because, unlike most political commentators, he’s actually funny.”

🎭 The “Woke Tribute Band” Explained

So what exactly did Gutfeld mean by “a woke tribute band”?

During his monologue, he compared Mamdani’s progressive movement to “a cover act for failed policies,” joking that every modern leftist politician “sounds like they’re playing the same three songs — redistribution, reeducation, and self-congratulation.”

He continued:

“They’ve got the costumes — the slogans, the hashtags, the endless apologies — but none of the talent. It’s like watching Hamilton, but everyone’s crying about microaggressions instead of fighting for freedom.”

Kat Timpf added with a grin, “I can’t wait for their first single: Defund the Police (and My Student Loans Too).”

The line instantly went viral, spawning memes, TikTok edits, and parody posters showing Mamdani as the lead singer of a “Woke Band” named The Equity Experience.

🧨 Political Fallout

While Gutfeld laughed his way through the segment, the underlying debate is serious. Mamdani’s election marks a major turning point for progressive politics in New York — a city historically dominated by Democrats but often divided between moderates and far-left reformers.

His victory speech promised “a new moral era for the city,” vowing to “dismantle systems of inequity and rebuild with justice at the center.”

To Gutfeld, that’s precisely the problem.

“You can’t dismantle systems and pay for rent at the same time,” he said. “Someone still has to drive the garbage truck — preferably sober and not lecturing me about colonialism.”

The comment drew laughter but also highlighted a recurring theme in Gutfeld’s comedy: that progressive idealism, however noble, often collides with reality.

📣 Divided Reactions

The political class responded swiftly. Conservatives praised Gutfeld for “calling out the insanity,” while liberal pundits accused him of “using comedy to normalize cruelty.”

Former NYC mayor Eric Adams even weighed in, jokingly tweeting, “If Greg Gutfeld wants to run for mayor, I’ll vote just to watch the debate.”

Meanwhile, Mamdani’s team brushed off the remarks, releasing a brief statement late Friday morning:

“Mayor-elect Mamdani is focused on uniting New Yorkers, not trading insults with television comedians.”

Still, the fact that a Fox News segment could dominate New York’s political conversation for 24 hours speaks volumes about Gutfeld’s growing cultural influence.

🕯️ “Comedy or Commentary?”

For Greg Gutfeld, the line between comedy and commentary has always been deliberately blurry. On Thursday night, as he wrapped up the segment, he addressed the inevitable criticism head-on.

“If you’re offended by jokes, maybe don’t run for office,” he said. “Because this —” he gestured toward the audience — “is what freedom sounds like.”

The studio erupted in applause.

Whether viewers saw it as satire or provocation, one thing was clear: Gutfeld had once again managed to turn political discourse into primetime entertainment — and make the nation argue about it the next morning.

As one fan tweeted in the early hours of Friday:

“Say what you want about Greg — at least his tribute band plays live.”