Former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa expressed frustration over the role WABC and Red Apple Media owner John Catsimatidis he felt played in his 2025 campaign, claiming they pressured him to drop out and misrepresented his affiliation with the station.
Speaking while filling in on The Mark Simone Show on 710 WOR, Sliwa reflected on his experiences running for mayor in both 2021 and 2025, emphasizing a lack of support from WABC and its leadership.
“Going into this election cycle, early on I made it very clear that I would seek the Republican nomination, a run for mayor again, as I did in 2021. By the way, with no help from WABC back then, none,” Sliwa said. “People should know that the orders came from management and ownership that you were not to talk about Curtis Sliwa when he was running for mayor. In fact, you were not to interview Curtis Sliwa back in 2021. There was a big sign in the newsroom. Let’s just say there was no excuse for that.”
Sliwa also criticized Catsimatidis for publicly supporting rival candidates while privately giving the impression he backed Sliwa.
“I wasn’t supported by anybody there at WABC running for mayor. Although they weren’t insulting, they weren’t personally attacking me, the owner and operator, John Catsimatidis was supporting Eric Adams. Everyone was under the impression that he was supporting me because he would say, ‘Oh, we’re family here,’” Sliwa said.
According to Sliwa, pressure escalated earlier this year when former Governor Andrew Cuomo considered dropping out of the mayoral race.
“Boy, did they ratchet it up. The Masters of the Universe, the billionaires, John Catsimatidis, owner and operator, who was the maestro of the orchestra that was constantly banging a drum that Curtis Sliwa had to drop out. Had to drop out for the good of the city,” Sliwa said. “I remember he was saying, ‘Oh, I’m gonna leave. I’m gonna sell my businesses. I’m down in Florida.’ The moment Zohran Mamdani was announced the winner on November 4, all of a sudden he was saying, ‘Oh, we got to work with the mayor, oh, for the good of the city.’”
Sliwa singled out WABC host Greg Kelly for publicly advocating for other candidates during the primary as ordered by station management.
“During the primary, the Democratic primary, he was actually advocating to his listeners that they support Zohran Mamdani over Andrew Cuomo. Yeah, him. And then in the end, through the directions of John Catsimatidis, the owners and operators and managers at WABC, he spoke the party line,” Sliwa said.
Finally, Sliwa addressed what he called a misperception that he remained tied to WABC while campaigning.
“First and foremost, the image that went out during the campaign is that I was an employee of WABC. I was on leave from WABC. I was part of the dysfunctional family. No. When you leave to run for office, you’re gone. You don’t get pay, you don’t get benefits, you don’t get anything. You’re no longer an employee of WABC, but they created that impression, like somehow John Catsimatidis was still pulling my strings that he could command me to drop out. Hey, how did that work out?”
The comments are Sliwa’s first comments since the public falling out with Red Apple Media Owner John Catsimatidis during his New York City mayoral run.
Catsimatidis says he “recommended” that Sliwa exit the race to lead more voters to independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in favor of now-Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani. Sliwa accused WABC of favoring Cuomo and betraying him and told Sid Rosenberg on-air, “You will never see me ever in the studios of WABC again, never, no matter how this election turns out.”
While Catsimatidis expressed his belief that Sliwa would come back to WABC after the election, Sliwa has yet to appear on the airwaves as of yet. Sliwa’s remarks highlight ongoing tensions between political candidates and the media outlets they once worked for, raising questions about impartiality, influence, and the blurred lines between journalism and corporate ownership in New York City politics.
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