Fox News host Tomi Lahren sparked backlash over the weekend after deriding the popular children’s YouTube educator known as Ms. Rachel as “creepy” and labeling her political views “problematic” following a public appearance with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin-Accurso, joined Mamdani Friday at a pre-kindergarten classroom in Lower Manhattan. The pair sang familiar children’s songs, including “The Wheels on the Bus” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” as part of an event promoting the mayor’s proposal to provide free childcare for two-year-olds.

Local outlet ABC7 described Griffin-Accurso as “a rock star in the toddler world,” but coverage on Fox News struck a sharply different tone. On The Big Weekend Show, an on-screen graphic read “Indoctrinating the Youth” as Lahren criticized the educator’s appearance and demeanor.

“It creeps me out when you have adults that dress like children and behave that way,” Lahren said. “If you are a parent that has your children watching this, maybe second-guess for reasons of being creepy, and her political leanings — a little problematic.”

Co-host Guy Benson escalated the criticism, saying Griffin-Accurso was not allowed in his household, calling her content “grating and cloying.” He then accused her of promoting anti-Israel views, referencing a social media post in which she advocated for Palestinian children in Gaza.

The panel’s remarks centered on an emotional video Griffin-Accurso shared last May, in which she urged world leaders to intervene to prevent mass starvation among children in Gaza. The video was posted in response to warnings from United Nations officials that thousands of infants were at risk if humanitarian aid remained blocked. Griffin-Accurso held up an image of a malnourished baby and appealed for action to protect children caught in the conflict.

That advocacy later led the pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism to include Griffin-Accurso on its list of nominees for “Antisemite of the Year,” a move that drew criticism for targeting a children’s educator instead of extremist figures.

Fox contributor Nicole Saphier joined the pile-on, suggesting that Griffin-Accurso’s appearance alongside Mamdani was evidence of shared political views. “Since he’s antisemitic, I would assume she is as well,” Saphier said, despite acknowledging she was unfamiliar with Griffin-Accurso’s work.

Mamdani has been outspoken in support of Palestinian civilians and has repeatedly denied accusations of antisemitism, including during last year’s New York City mayoral race, when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo leveled similar claims. Mamdani countered at the time that such accusations were politically motivated smears.

Amid the criticism, Saphier briefly conceded that the childcare policy being promoted at the event addressed a real problem. She acknowledged that childcare costs are a major barrier for working parents and said free childcare could help some parents reenter the workforce, though she expressed skepticism about broader economic effects.

Griffin-Accurso, who has built a following of more than 18 million subscribers by focusing on early childhood language development and emotional learning, has not responded publicly to the Fox News comments. For many parents and educators, the backlash underscored how quickly even children’s programming can become entangled in partisan media battles far removed from its intended audience.