Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has found himself in boiling political water after appearing on a live stream with Sneako, a far-right internet personality known for his antisemitic rants and conspiracy theories. Oh, and Amber Rose was also there.
The now-infamous livestream was broadcast on the divisive right-wing site Rumble. Viewers tuned in just before 10:30 p.m. to catch the mayor cigar in hand sprawled out casually, taking the flurried conversation off an eclectic table of … surprising partygoers. It was like a less official city business and more of an "oops podcast featuring the mayor in his backyard."
It was the inclusion of Sneako, a stricken streamer banned, shockingly, from YouTube, Twitch, and Kick for hate speech and misinformation who has made conspiratorial videos about child sex trafficking and the joys of opioid use but who won't be shut down from making Republican anthems, as his off-and-on antivaccine stance may have to apologize for that caused alarm bells to sound. Soon after the stream went black, it was not given much of a warning but was minutes before midnight; the backlash galloped in from advocacy groups, city officials, and shocked New Yorkers: All were in agreement that pulling the plug was a bad look at the least and a potential lapse in public safety at the worst. They couldn't believe that the mayor of America's biggest, most diverse city would engage in such a casual chat alongside a man who has a history of street chants like "Down with the Jews" and who brought white nationalist Nick Fuentes as a guest to a 2019 meeting of the conservative group Turning Point USA.
Adams explained that everything unfolded "organically," which is to say, entirely on the fly. At a press conference, the mayor tried to clean up the mess, saying his son, Jordan Coleman, a rapper known as Jayoo, introduced Sneako to him during a casual hangout.
"This is not an interview they planned," Adams said. I was on the back porch with my son, smoking a cigar. Other people came to join me and started bringing people with them … He [Sneako] was one of those who was having a chat. I didn't know his history."
The casual tone is not convincing to critics. It's all the more surprising that the mayor didn't vet these people among the media storm in which every handshake, every puff of cigar, and every knock on the door to a livestream can go viral. Some wondered whether "being too sunny," as Adams later described his leadership style, was a flimsy reason for bad judgment.
"I talk to everybody," Adams said in his defense. "Maybe I'm just too optimistic that I think people have some good in them."
While his hopefulness may be rooted in noble intentions, the latest gathering has not been a good look for the mayor. It also underscores the increasingly blurry lines of digital-era politics, where a cigar on the porch can become a political crisis a few minutes into the next day.
Adding to the mess, someone Photoshopped into the background of Amber Rose's photo, which opened a can of worms of its own. Her inclusion on the stream, which various outlets reported peaked at 1.3 million simultaneous viewers, only deepened the confusion over the nature and message of the late-night hangout.
As the fallout rages on, one thing is sure: what began as a frosty night at Gracie Mansion has turned into a sizable, shiny headache for City Hall, and Mayor Adams is finding out the hard way that in 2025, there ain't no such thing as an "off the record" night online.
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