Former Will & Grace star Debra Messing faced criticism on election day in November 2025 for sharing a controversial Instagram Story about New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani. Messing became increasingly outspoken with her political views following the October 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel by Hamas in 2023. Her views on the Israel-Palestine conflict put her at odds with NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani, who has said that "the struggle for Palestinian liberation" was at the "core" of his political philosophy. (Mamdani condemned the October 7 attack as a "horrific war crime.