NEW YORK — Fresh off a historic victory in Texas, Senator-elect James Talarico made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live” during the comedy series’ post-midterm cold open on Saturday night, joining the show to parody his campaign and mock the program’s recurring political sketches.
Talarico, a Democrat who defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday, interrupted cast member James Austin Johnson’s impression of President Donald Trump. In the sketch, Johnson’s Trump was lamenting substantial Republican losses across the country as Democrats recaptured majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Crashing the Trump Postmortem
During the opening scene, Johnson’s Trump delivered a post-election monologue mocking victorious Democrats, pointing to figures such as Sen. Jon Ossoff and Abdul El-Sayed before turning his attention to Texas. When the faux commander in chief referred to the incoming senator as “Talafreako,” the real Talarico strode onto the Studio 8H stage to loud applause, Rolling Stone reported.
“That’s ‘Senator Talafreako,'” Talarico announced, stepping directly in front of Johnson.
“Hi America, I’m James Talarico, the guy who’s been texting you every day asking for $5,” he quipped. In response, Johnson’s Trump remarked, “In this economy, who can blame you.”
Talarico then turned the sketch into a meta-critique of the NBC show’s own comedic formats. “But I think, Mr. President, if we can work together, we can make life better for everyday Americans,” Talarico said. “It’s clear people want something new. They want something different. I’m talking, of course, about SNL’s cold opens.”
He then questioned how many more “freeze” sketches the program planned to execute. When Johnson replied “Infinity,” the two joined together to deliver the program’s signature line: “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”
A Midterm Reshuffling in Washington and Texas
The sketch took aim at the fallout from the midterm elections, which resulted in a sweeping “blue tsunami” that ousted Republican control on Capitol Hill and secured a majority of state governorships for Democrats, according to Variety.
Before Talarico arrived on stage, the sketch featured cast members Sarah Sherman as Sen. Chuck Schumer and Kenan Thompson as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries celebrating the election returns. Johnson’s Trump then froze the scene to complain about having to collaborate with a younger generation of lawmakers in Congress, complaining specifically about millennial culture and television shows like “New Girl,” TheWrap reported.
The scene also introduced Colin Jost portraying Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who declared he would not back down despite the midterm defeat, joking that he lived a “YOLO lifestyle” and was preparing to “weigh the female soldiers.”
Talarico secured his seat with 55.09 percent of the vote against Paxton, according to Variety, marking the first time a Texas Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat since 1988. In the same midterm election, Democrat Gina Hinojosa won the Texas gubernatorial race, replacing Greg Abbott, Rolling Stone noted.
Milestones for Season 52
Saturday’s broadcast represented the fifth episode of “Saturday Night Live’s” 52nd season. The installment marked a milestone for the long-running franchise as comedian Druski, whose legal name is Drew Desbordes, served as guest host. Druski is the first digital content creator to host the program, with rock band The Strokes appearing as the musical guest.
Earlier guest hosts this fall have included New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, actress Dakota Johnson, comedian Shane Gillis and “Obsession” star Inde Navarrette. The Oct. 31 Halloween broadcast hosted by Navarrette brought in an average of 5.2 million viewers, ranking as the season’s most-watched broadcast to date.
NBC announced that comedian and former series writer John Mulaney will host the upcoming Nov. 14 episode, accompanied by musical guest Phoebe Bridgers, while congressional leaders and the incoming legislative class prepare to convene in Washington for transition proceedings.
