Negar Mortazavi says calling Wexler's jokes "comedy" does not excuse them
Negar MortazaviJournalist, host of the Iran Podcast and senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, posting on her X account
Mortazavi quote-posts Wexler's roast clip and says Wexler, who condemns bigoted tropes about Jews, is launching similar attacks on Muslims, and that calling them comedy does not excuse them.
“You condemn bigoted tropes about Jewish people, yet launch similar attacks against Muslims. If you recognize the harm bigotry causes your own community, why inflict it on others? Europe's violent history of antisemitism is a powerful reminder of the dangers of dehumanizing rhetoric. Calling it "comedy" doesn't excuse it.”
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Where this statement fits
Comedian Arynne Wexler's roast jokes about Zohran Mamdani and Rama Duwaji draw Islamophobia charges; Piers Morgan calls them "disgusting"
Comedian Arynne Wexler performed at Commentary magazine's annual fundraising roast on November 8, 2026, and posted a clip of her set on X on November 12. In the clip, as transcribed by VT, she calls New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani "The Grand Mufti of New York," says he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, use "old speeches of Ayatollah Khamenei" as "foreplay," and says of their meeting on Hinge, "I assumed he bought her," then "When she was 12," then that she was kidding and "she was 13," and that they met on JDate, where "the J stands for 'jihad'." Piers Morgan quote-posted the clip with the word "Disgusting." Daniel B. Shapiro, Khaled Elgindy, Laila Al-Arian and Negar Mortazavi also condemned it; Elgindy called the jokes racist and Islamophobic. Richard Hanania called them dumb right-wing comedy. Will Chamberlain wrote that Wexler did nothing wrong. Wexler answered Morgan with a clip from his own show, and Morgan replied that the jokes were repellent. We could not locate a public response from Mamdani, Duwaji or the mayor's office.
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Original post
About this source
Mortazavi's quote post of Wexler's roast clip.
Reporting
About this source
VT report on the clip from Wexler's set at Commentary magazine's annual fundraising roast on November 8, 2026, transcribing her jokes about Mamdani and Duwaji and noting the criticism, including Piers Morgan's.
Before the quotation
The post quotes Wexler's clip from the Commentary roast, in which she jokes that Mamdani bought his wife, Rama Duwaji, "When she was 12."
After the quotation
The post has no further text.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Mortazavi describes Wexler's jokes about Mamdani as attacks on Muslims built on bigoted tropes and says calling them comedy does not excuse them, which condemns the jokes.
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- People and groups discussed
- Arynne Wexler
More from this case
Read the full casePiers Morgan says a comedian making similar jokes about a Jewish mayor would already be cancelled
“If a comedian cracked similar so-called 'jokes' about a Jewish mayor of New York to what you said about @NYCMayor then he/she would already be cancelled. They were repellent.”Read statement
Richard Hanania says of Wexler's jokes: "Everything becomes dumber and worse when it's right wing"
“Can't believe this is the same race that gave us Seinfeld and Larry David. Everything becomes dumber and worse when it's right wing.”Read statement
Will Chamberlain says Arynne Wexler "did nothing wrong" with her Mamdani jokes
“Arynne Wexler did nothing wrong”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Negar Mortazavi says calling Wexler's jokes "comedy" does not excuse them". First published: 2026-11-14. Last updated: 2026-11-14. https://disputeindex.com/events/8914-mortazavi-quote-posts-wexler-s-roast-clip-and