Mayor Adams pokes fun at local media at annual Inner Circle dinner, says NY Post is his ‘favorite hometown paper’

Patrick Reilly, Craig McCarthy
·2 min read
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Mayor Eric Adams took some shots at the Big Apple’s newspapers Saturday night during the annual Inner Circle charity show in Manhattan.

Hizzoner took the stage at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown just 15 minutes before the end of the event, which was a yearly comic roast of the mayor, the media and political figures put on by group of mostly journalists.

“The Inner Circle — as it is known to me, the inner circle of hell,” Adams quipped, to laughter from the crowd.

Eric Adams cracked jokes with reporters at the annual charity event. Craig McCarthy, City Hall Bureau Chief, New York Post
Eric Adams cracked jokes with reporters at the annual charity event. Craig McCarthy, City Hall Bureau Chief, New York Post

The Inner Circle’s charity roast, a major NYC event that brings the city’s media and political worlds together for a night of comedy and sketches, celebrated its 101st year this year.

The Mayor took took the opportunity to shout out the papers where he’s featured on headlines daily.

“My favorite hometown paper, the New York Post, is here as well,” Adams said “A lot of people have criticized them with sensationalism or sensationalized crime — What the hell? That’s my job!”

He joked that the New York Daily News was only at the event to hand out free papers.

The New York Times, he said, “is known as the Gray Lady — as opposed to their readership, the White Lady.”

Adams participates in a sketch on stage with an Elmo street performer standing behind him at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Saturday night. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA
Adams participates in a sketch on stage with an Elmo street performer standing behind him at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Saturday night. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA
Adams and Broadway singer Christina Sajous perform on stage at the 101st anniversary of the Inner Circle dinner on April 20, 2024. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA
Adams and Broadway singer Christina Sajous perform on stage at the 101st anniversary of the Inner Circle dinner on April 20, 2024. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA

Adams also touted his successes, claiming that crime is down and jobs are up since he took office.

“We are getting criminals off the street — just ask my donors,” he joked.

After performing a skit with SNL’s Punkie Johnson called “What is the Mayor Wearing?” Adams took a moment and thanked the press “who has treated [me] so well in his first two years” and dedicated the show to City Hall employee Pedro Frisneda, who died today.

Hizzoner took the stage at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown just 15 minutes before the end of the event, which was a yearly comic roast of the mayor, the media and political figures. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA
Hizzoner took the stage at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown just 15 minutes before the end of the event, which was a yearly comic roast of the mayor, the media and political figures. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA

“[Frisneda] was an integral part of our Communication team at both City Hall and the Department of Health,” Adams said.

“You worked tirelessly to connect different communities from across the five boroughs and was always willing to go the extra mile,” he said of Frisenda, a Venezuelan immigrant who also worked for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.