Texas's new Democratic senator crashes SNL cold open days after flipping the state blue

Days after flipping Texas blue for the first time since 1988, senator-elect James Talarico walked onto the 'Saturday Night Live' stage, interrupted a James Austin Johnson impression of President Trump, and introduced himself to the country as 'the guy who's been texting you every day asking for $5.'

The cold open of SNL's post-midterm episode was already crowded: Kenan Thompson's Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sarah Sherman's Sen. Chuck Schumer were celebrating a Democratic wave, before Johnson's Trump barged in to claim credit for the results himself — blaming, in character, 'the horrible economy and terrible war.' Trump then began listing the newly elected senators heading to Washington, coining nicknames: 'Jon Ossoff, or as I call him Thinky Herman. Abdul El-Sayed, or as I call him, Mamdani for men. And of course, down in Texas, Talafreako.'

That was Talarico's cue. The real senator-elect stepped into frame to applause and corrected the record on his name before landing his fundraising punchline.

Hi America, I am James Talarico, the guy who has been texting you every day asking for $5.— James Talarico, Texas senator-elect

In this economy, who can blame you.— James Austin Johnson, as Donald Trump

Talarico then pivoted to what became the sketch's sharpest joke — not at Trump's expense, but at SNL's own. After suggesting that he and the president could 'work together to make life better for everyday Americans,' he pulled the rug out.

It's clear people want something new. They want something different. I'm talking of course about SNL's cold opens. How many of these Trump freezes are they going to do?— James Talarico, Texas senator-elect

Infinity.— James Austin Johnson, as Donald Trump

The two closed the sketch together, shouting 'Live from New York, it's Saturday Night Live' in unison, according to the LA Times.

The appearance was notable beyond the laughs. SNL had deliberately avoided political cameos in the run-up to the midterms — a departure from the 2024 presidential cycle, when both Kamala Harris and Nikki Haley made appearances. The caution stemmed from FCC equal-time rule concerns: chairman Brendan Carr had signaled that late-night shows could be subject to the rule, which requires broadcasters to give competing candidates equal airtime. CBS and ABC lawyers cited that threat to block Talarico from appearing on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' during his campaign, according to the LA Times. Those interviews were eventually posted to the shows' YouTube channels instead.

With the election over, the equal-time constraint no longer applied, clearing the way for Saturday's appearance — Talarico's first on a late-night network TV show since launching his Senate campaign, according to the LA Times.

Talarico won the Texas race by securing just over 55% of the vote against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to the New York Post. The tone he struck on SNL — calling for cooperation with Trump rather than confrontation — was a marked shift from his campaign posture. As the LA Times noted, whether Trump accepts the olive branch remains to be seen.

Why it matters — Talarico's cameo is the first sign of how a newly empowered Democratic senator from a historically red state plans to use his national platform — and it doubles as a window into how broadcast networks are navigating FCC pressure over political access during campaigns.

Reported by variety.com, latimes.com, hollywoodreporter.com, nypost.com