Four days after winning a US Senate seat in Texas, Democrat James Talarico made a surprise appearance in the cold open of Saturday Night Live on November 7. He walked on near the end of the sketch to loud cheers from the studio audience, Variety reported.
Talarico, 37, introduced himself with a joke about his campaign's constant fundraising messages. He called himself the guy who has been texting viewers every day asking for $5, a nod to the grassroots donations behind his run.
A Joke at SNL's Own Expense
The sketch opened with James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump reacting to the midterm results, which he called a "blue tsunami." In the show's impression of establishment Democrats, party leaders took credit for the wins and said they would lead the new class in Congress, TheWrap reported.
As has been common in cold opens this season, Trump froze the scene to speak directly to the audience. His complaint was mostly about having to work with millennials.
Talarico then stepped in front of Trump. After offering to work with the president to help everyday Americans, he said people clearly wanted something new. The punchline turned on the show itself: he meant SNL's cold opens, and asked how many more Trump freeze-frame sketches the show planned to do. Johnson's Trump answered, "Infinity!"
The pair then delivered the show's signature opening line, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
The Election Behind the Cameo
Talarico, a state representative from Austin, defeated Republican Ken Paxton and Libertarian Ted Brown on November 3, according to the Associated Press race call. He is the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas since 1994, and the first to win a Texas Senate seat since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.
The race was among the most expensive Senate contests in US history. Talarico will replace Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who lost to Paxton in a May primary runoff and congratulated Talarico after the result. He will also be the Senate's youngest member.
Talarico first won the Democratic nomination in March, beating Rep. Jasmine Crockett. He drew national attention through appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The Rest of the Episode
Comedian Druski hosted for the first time, making him the first online content creator to host the show. The Strokes were the musical guest, and Emma Stone made a surprise appearance during Druski's monologue.
Druski also played Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in a parody sketch, Deadline reported.
Part of a Long SNL Tradition
Real politicians have made surprise SNL appearances before. The Hollywood Reporter compared Talarico's cameo to Kamala Harris appearing opposite Maya Rudolph's impression of her in 2024, and to earlier walk-ons by Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin.
Talarico's appearance was different in one way: he came on after winning, not while still campaigning. He is expected to take office when the new Congress begins in January 2027.