Talarico SNL Cameo Lands Days After He Flipped Texas’ Senate Seat for the First Time Since 1988

The Talarico SNL cameo gave Saturday Night Live’s first post-midterms episode its biggest moment. The Texas senator-elect walked into a Trump sketch built around Republican defeat and turned it into a joke about the show itself.

How the Talarico SNL cameo played out

The sketch opened with Sarah Sherman as Chuck Schumer and Kenan Thompson as Hakeem Jeffries, according to Variety. The two celebrated the “blue tsunami” while resisting calls to hand over to a younger generation of Democrats. James Austin Johnson’s Trump then froze the action, as the cold open’s president routinely does, and began a postmortem.

“I didn’t even say it was rigged,” Johnson’s Trump said. “I accepted the results, which is even scarier in a way.” He said his only real concern was the White House ballroom, then muttered, “Oh my God, I hate my life.” He also complained that the next two years would be unbearable, not because the opposition is Democratic but because it is Millennial. That led to a long tangent about the sitcom New Girl.

Rolling Stone reported that Trump also ran through his nicknames for incoming Democrats, including “Talafreako” for the Texan. Talarico walked out to correct him: “That’s Senator Talafreako.” The audience applauded for roughly 20 seconds, according to The Independent. He then poked fun at his own fundraising: “I’m James Talarico, the guy who’s been texting you every day asking for five dollars.” Trump’s reply: “In this economy, who can blame you?”

Talarico pivoted from a call to work together to a jab at the show. “It’s clear people want something new,” he said. “I’m talking, of course, about SNL’s cold opens. How many of these Trump freezers are they going to do?” Johnson’s Trump answered, “Infinity.” Talarico closed with the show’s signature “Live from New York” line.

The real-life win behind the joke

The cameo came days after Talarico beat Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Variety put his vote share at 55.09%, and The Hollywood Reporter described a 12-point margin in the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history. He is the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate seat since 1988. Rolling Stone also noted that Democrat Gina Hinojosa was elected to succeed Greg Abbott as governor.

The Hollywood Reporter said Democrats gained at least 42 House seats and seven Senate seats. Variety reported that the party also won a majority of governorships.

The Hollywood Reporter noted that surprise appearances by political figures have a long history on the show, from Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin to Kamala Harris’s 2024 turn opposite Maya Rudolph. A sitting or incoming senator is less common. The outlet argued that the moment reflected the growing media profile of a new class of Democrats, many in their 30s or early 40s.

The rest of the episode

The night had other firsts. Druski became the first online content creator to host the show. He appeared in whiteface as Elizabeth Holmes in a spoof of the Nathan Fielder documentary You Can See Everything, after warning in his monologue that he could not promise to avoid it. Emma Stone joined his monologue to tease their upcoming film The Catch, and Walton Goggins appeared with musical guest The Strokes. Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Michael B. Jordan turned up during the goodnights.

Colin Jost’s Pete Hegseth also appeared in the cold open. The Hollywood Reporter suggested the scene could read as a send-off, given rumors that the defense secretary may leave the administration.

The show has momentum to build on. Variety said the Halloween episode drew 5.2 million viewers, the season’s biggest audience so far. John Mulaney hosts next on Nov. 14, with Phoebe Bridgers as musical guest. Whether the Trump cold open is still around then is a question Talarico’s SNL appearance has now put to the show on air. By Johnson’s Trump’s account, the answer is “infinity.”

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File photo: James Talarico Press Conference.jpg by Antonioaesparza, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.