Ziwe’s Interview With Eric Adams Highlights the Limits of Post-Accountability Comedy
Comedian Ziwe Fumudoh recently released a highly anticipated interview with Eric Adams, the disgraced outgoing mayor of New York City, on her YouTube series, aiming to revive the sharp, provocative style that once defined her early success. Although many expected this pairing to produce explosive moments, the final result left viewers questioning whether Ziwe’s trademark “accountability comedy” still works in today’s landscape.
Ziwe first broke out with her series Baited, which gained major traction on Instagram Live in 2020 after originating on YouTube in 2017. The show’s title referenced her real-life experiences with white peers who accused her of trying to “bait” them when she asked sincere questions about race. Guests like Caroline Calloway, Alison Roman, and Alyssa Milano often stumbled through her deliberately pointed questions, such as “How many Black friends do you have?” The awkwardness created the tension that made Baited a hit—viewers watched well-meaning liberals expose their own contradictions as they tried to prove they had the “right” values. This format fit perfectly during the height of pandemic-era performative allyship, following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
As attention grew, Ziwe launched her Showtime series in 2021, which attempted to translate the format to television. But the shift introduced problems. Guests arrived more prepared and more rehearsed, shielded by a glossy PR layer TV tends to create. Interviewees like Adam Pally and Ilana Glazer leaned into the discomfort intentionally, turning their appearances into planned bits rather than revealing moments. Others, like Chet Hanks, openly rejected the premise, famously saying “Social-justice warriors can kick rocks.” The show was ultimately cancelled after two seasons in 2022.
In 2023, Ziwe relaunched her show on YouTube. Notable early guests included George Santos, known for serial lies, and Anna Delvey, infamous for her scamming past. Ziwe pressed them on their histories, but both responded with a level of indifference that deflated the tension. They displayed no embarrassment—sometimes even enjoying the spotlight—making it impossible for her usual approach to land.
Recently, Ziwe has turned to pop-culture personalities like Caleb Hearon and Roy Wood Jr., producing more entertaining conversations but with far less intensity. Even when she manages to “bait” someone, such as her question to Reneé Rapp about whether her ancestors owned slaves, the stakes feel lower today.
These evolving challenges set the stage for her 23-minute interview with Eric Adams, released after he ended his reelection bid and after Zohran Mamdani won the November 4 mayoral race. Ziwe referenced more than ten of Adams’s scandals—including corruption accusations, his support for “Stop and frisk” and “Stop the sag,” and the federal investigation into his free trips from Turkish Airlines. (The bribery charges, though serious, were dropped by the Trump Justice Department earlier this year.)
Despite the sharp questions—such as “When you shake hands with people, do you instinctively look for a $100 bill?”—Adams barely reacted. He brushed off most prompts with vague or bland answers. Because he was already leaving office, nothing hinged on how he handled the interrogation. Even when Ziwe pressed him about whether he was a “foreign asset,” he remained unfazed.
You can watch the full interview on Ziwe’s YouTube channel:
Ziwe interviews Eric Adams
In the end, the episode underscored a harsh truth: if the U.S. legal system couldn’t make Eric Adams squirm, it was unlikely that accountability-driven comedy could do it either.
