Pete Davidson’s Blunt Request to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani

Pete Davidson didn’t mince words when he addressed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” On Monday night, the 32-year-old comedian took the opportunity to voice his concerns about the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE), a major New York City highway known for its traffic congestion and aging infrastructure.

During the show, Kimmel informed Davidson that Mamdani would be the next guest and asked if he had any questions for the mayor. Davidson responded bluntly, asking Mamdani to “fix the f—ing BQE.” The BQE runs through Brooklyn and Queens and has long been a source of frustration for residents due to its prolonged construction delays.

Davidson’s request drew cheers and thunderous applause from the studio audience. “You hit on something,” Kimmel noted, as Davidson gestured toward the crowd. “That’s the loudest response I’ve ever gotten,” Davidson added with a laugh.

The “Saturday Night Live” star expressed his frustration with the seemingly endless construction, describing a lack of visible work at the site. “The BQE has been under construction since before I was born,” Davidson said, noting that workers appeared to be idle, with nothing more than cones scattered around. “I don’t know what mob front or whatever, who’s getting money from whatever, but just fix it, please,” he added.

Kimmel assured Davidson that he would address the issue with Mamdani. After Mamdani’s segment on the show, Kimmel relayed Davidson’s question about the lack of progress on the highway.

Mamdani responded by highlighting his office’s BQE Central Project, a $4 billion plan to rehabilitate the city-owned section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street, with construction set to begin in 2030. “We’re going to put a multi-billion dollar plan to repair the part that the city owns,” Mamdani explained, ensuring full safety without diverting traffic into local neighborhoods.

Davidson’s political humor is well-known. He has openly criticized former President Donald Trump and supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Following Clinton’s loss, he posted a pro-Clinton message and even got a tattoo of her, calling Clinton his “hero.” In a Variety interview, Davidson discussed removing most of his tattoos due to impracticality in his line of work, but vowed to keep the Clinton ink.

Davidson shared that he initially got tattoos to conceal scars from past struggles with self-harm. “I used to cut, so some of [the tattoos] covered up the cuts,” he revealed in the interview.

While Davidson plans to remove most of his almost 200 tattoos, the Clinton tattoo remains. “She stays,” Davidson commented, referring to the tattoo of Clinton in a power suit on his right leg. “I love Hillary, man,” he added, calling her “awesome and a good friend.”