Texas Sen.-elect Talarico Makes Surprise SNL Cold Open Appearance
23 sourcesUpdated Nov 8, 20261 min read
Texas senator-elect James Talarico made a surprise appearance in Saturday Night Live’s post-midterms cold open, drawing applause after Donald Trump’s character mocked his name as “Talafreako.” Talarico joked about his campaign’s frequent $5 fundraising appeals and the show’s recurring Trump sketches, and said he hoped to work with Trump to improve life for Americans. The sketch featured Kenan Thompson as Hakeem Jeffries and Sarah Sherman as Chuck Schumer celebrating Democratic victories, while James Austin Johnson’s Trump said he had accepted the election results and fixated on his proposed White House ballroom. Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Texas Democrat elected to the Senate since 1988; Democrats also took control of both congressional chambers, and Gina Hinojosa won the Texas governor’s race.
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No center coverage yet — a bubble gap.
Waiting until after the election for this appearance makes sense with the equal time rules, and it showed some restraint.
Trump's lame duck rant in the cold open felt timely after the midterms, and Talarico gave it a fresh angle.
Talarico's surprise bit on SNL worked well, especially the joke about nonstop five dollar texts from his campaign.
