Bette Midler helped put Zohran Mamdani in City Hall. Now she’s getting the bill. The overrated liberal diva says she can’t afford to stay in Midtown Manhattan anymore after Mamdani’s City Hall sent over what she owes for 2027. And she isn’t happy about it.
“This isn’t even my second home,” Midler said. “Why do I owe him a fifth of everything I have for owning a bunch of houses? Just four are in the city.”
The bill is part of Mamdani’s push to raise money from New York’s wealthiest residents. His administration has introduced steep new taxes on people who own multiple homes in the city, arguing that luxury properties should help pay for housing, free buses, and other programs he promised voters.
Midler was one of his loudest celebrity backers. She praised him online, encouraged her fans to vote for him, and cheered when he won.
She says she worked hard to get Zohran Mamdani elected because she thought he’d be squeezing billionaires. She just didn’t expect the squeeze to reach her.
“I’m still about $900 million short of that,” she said. First comes the fooling around, then comes the finding out. Bette Midler is at the finding-out stage.
People close to her say the bill has sent her scrambling. She has reportedly met with financial advisors and real estate agents to figure out her options, including selling some of her city properties and moving her main residence elsewhere.
“She’s not used to being on this side of the conversation,” said a longtime acquaintance. “She’s always been the one telling other people to pay up.”
Midler has been a star for decades, from her early days in New York clubs to her Tony-winning Broadway career and hit movies like “The First Wives Club.” She’s also become one of the most outspoken celebrity voices online, known for fiery posts about Republicans and conservative causes.
That history didn’t win her much sympathy this week. “She spent years telling everyone the rich weren’t paying enough,” one commenter wrote. “Turns out she’s the rich.”
Others joked that she should start a GoFundMe, or that she could always try one of the city’s new government-run grocery stores to save a little money.
A spokesperson for Mamdani’s office said the tax is designed to make sure “those with the most contribute the most.” The spokesperson added that the policy “applies to everyone equally, including celebrities.”
Some of Midler’s fans rushed to her defense. A few argued that the new taxes went too far and would drive successful people out of the city. Others said it was unfair to mock her for changing her mind.
Midler hasn’t said yet where she’ll go. But she’s made it clear that Midtown is no longer an option. One at a time, they’re all learning what communism really means.
