Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, issued an apology and explanation for past social media activity in a recent interview with online arts magazine Hyperallergic, saying she regrets language she used as a teenager.
Duwaji said stepping into a public-facing role as first lady of New York City has forced her “to confront how much I’ve changed.”
“When a tabloid recently published old tweets I wrote as a teenager, I felt a lot of shame being confronted with language I used that is so harmful to others; being 15 doesn’t excuse it,” she told the magazine. “I’ve read and seen a lot of what others have had to say in response, and I understand the hurt I caused and am truly sorry.”
She added that her focus moving forward “isn’t on being a public figure, but continuing my work with care and responsibility, and allowing my art to speak for itself.”
Asked at a Thursday press conference about his wife’s comments, Mamdani said public life brings added scrutiny to those around him.
“My wife made the decision to be an artist. And I think that these kinds of questions are part and parcel of what is coming with myself being the mayor of the city,” he said.
Mamdani declined to elaborate on her remarks but praised her character.
“She shared some of her reflections in this interview,” Mamdani said. “I won’t add much to them. What I will say, however, is that she is someone of incredible integrity. She’s someone that I am lucky to be able to call my wife and that I am proud of her each and every day.”
The apology follows renewed scrutiny in March over Duwaji’s social media activity after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Reports said she had “liked” posts interpreted by critics as supportive of the assault or dismissive of allegations of sexual violence, prompting backlash and questions for the mayor. Mamdani, at the time, distanced City Hall from his wife’s activity, emphasizing that she is a private citizen with no formal role in his administration.
