Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, who stirred controversy with her charged comments on social media, has apologized. She expressed regret for the hurt she caused with her past comments, but did not specify what they were.
As reported by the New York Post, Duwaji sat down with Hyperallergic, an arts news outlet, to issue a statement.
She said, “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.”
Duwaji continued, “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.”
FLONYC Rama Duwaji apologizes for old social media posts (e.g. one using the n-word) in a Q&A with art site Hyperallergic that’s mostly about her work as an artist.https://t.co/DBra3nbhgr pic.twitter.com/5dvPKmfO1a
— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) April 15, 2026
She also reflected on the changes in her life after she became a public figure, stating, “This experience has absolutely changed my life. I am still figuring out how it applies to me as an artist and as a person, both thinking of the future and the past.”
She added, “My focus isn’t on being a public figure, but continuing my work with care and responsibility, and allowing my art to speak for itself.”
Duwaji has made many controversial posts on X and Tumblr during her teens and early 20s.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, she celebrated members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, and the First Intifada.
Duwaji, who was 20 at the time, shared a post on her Tumblr account featuring a photo of Leila Khaled, a Palestinian plane hijacker. She used the username “diimashq,” and the caption of the photo read, “If it does good for my cause, I’ll be happy to accept death.”
She also praised other members of the PFLP, as the report pointed out.
Shadia Abu Ghazaleh, who reportedly bombed an Israeli bus, was celebrated by Duwaji on International Women’s Day.
In addition, in 2015, Duwaji also reposted what the Washington Free Beacon termed as an attack against U.S. service members.
The post read, “American soldiers fighting in imperialist wars are not brave nor are they fighting for anyone’s freedom. They are mercilessly slaughtering 3rd world civilians and fighting to maintain American hegemony.”
According to this report, she also used the N-word in a post, even when she was not Black.
As reported by the New York Post, Duwaji had also liked a post that claimed the ra*es of Israelis during the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack was a mass hoax.
Duwaji also liked another Instagram post sharing images from the day of the attack and presented them in a celebratory manner.
When @errollouis asked Mayor Zohran Mamdani whether his wife, Rama Duwaji, would take on a more public role as the city’s first lady, Mamdani said Duwaji “hasn’t made any final decision to that end.”
“But she is an artist, I’d say an incredible one of my own opinion, and she’s… pic.twitter.com/ytUxOO3p9b
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) April 9, 2026
As reported by Politico, Mamdani has mostly kept a distance from commenting on his wife’s problematic social media activities. He even stated that she is a “private person,” but that rhetoric is not supported by many in his own circle.
One of the elected officials who is close to Mamdani stressed, “She is the first lady of New York City. She has a police detail and a government staff.”
They added, “She would need to do an interview, better explain herself, and have her conduct some visits and meetings with key constituencies, like Jewish museums.”
