Just days after winning Texas’ first Democratic U.S. Senate seat since 1988, Senator-elect James Talarico surprised viewers with an appearance in Saturday Night Live’s cold open.
A Democrat, James Talarico made a surprise appearance in the cold open of the latest episode of Saturday Night Live. He appeared days after winning Texas’ U.S. Senate race.
"It's clear people want something new. They want something different. I'm talking, of course, about SNL's cold opens."
Talarico introduced himself in the sketch as the guy who had been texting viewers every day asking for $5. He won the Texas Senate race against Republican Ken Paxton and Libertarian candidate Ted Brown, securing 49.4% of the vote and becoming the first Democratic U.S. senator from Texas since 1988.
Texas Democrats said they claimed every statewide office up for grabs after a decades-long drought, in a wider sweep that included state Rep. Gina Hinojosa’s gubernatorial win. Talarico took Lyndon B. Johnson’s old seat back for the Democrats, ending 30 years of Republican rule in that specific contest. The Lone Star state also elected its first Latina governor.
The cold open featured New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer celebrating Tuesday's wins, with Kenan Thompson playing Jeffries and Sarah Sherman playing Schumer. Sherman’s character introduced the pair as establishment Democrats and asked if they even knew how to lose. Thompson’s Jeffries answered yes, then suggested a toast to victory. He noted they flipped the House and the Senate.
Played by James Austin Johnson, President Donald Trump appeared as a party crasher. He called the Democrats' victory wave a blue Toonami, referring to Cartoon Network's late-night block of anime shows. The fictional Trump indicated he wouldn't challenge the midterm election's results.
"In this economy, who can blame you?"
The character responded to Talarico's joke about fundraising texts. He then complained about the next two years. He said he did not want to work with millennials. He clarified it was not because they were Democrats.
"I hate my life. Next two years are going to be awful. I don't want to work with these people. It's not that they're Democrats. It's that they're millennials."
Comedian Druski hosted the fifth episode of Season 52, with The Strokes as the musical guest. No digital content creator had hosted during the show's 52-season run before Druski.
Local Grounding in Houston
Before his SNL appearance, Talarico made his first public appearance after winning the Texas Senate race in Houston, visiting the memorial of Lorenzo Salgado and placing an I voted sticker at the site.
"Lorenzo Salgado lived in this country for 35 years. As a construction worker, he sent his three boys to college."
Talarico said Lorenzo deserved justice. He pledged to fight for that justice in the U.S. Senate.
"Lorenzo, our fellow Texan, deserves justice — and that's exactly what I'll fight for in the U.S. Senate."
Ronaldo Salgado, the son of Salgado, expressed gratitude to Talarico for visiting the memorial again. His family and the rest of the East End were thankful, he said, and appreciated that Senator-elect Talarico made the visit to his dad's memorial.
"My family and the rest of the East End are thankful that Senator-elect Talarico is making the visit to my dad's memorial."
Since September 2025, Talarico's digital content had attracted more than 3 billion organic views, his campaign said. This helped him build support among younger voters.
National Democratic Gains
Democrats gained seven Senate seats, giving them 54 seats and a majority in the upper chamber. Alaska and Mississippi are still undecided. In the House of Representatives, Jeffries will become the first Black Speaker in American history, with Democrats holding 254 seats to the GOP's 162.
New Majorities
Senate
Upper Chamber
- Democrats hold 54 seats
- Seven seats flipped
House
Lower Chamber
- Democrats hold 254 seats
- GOP holds 162 seats
Historic firsts in gubernatorial and senatorial elections came in other states, too. New Mexico elected the nation's first Native American female governor, while Georgia elected America's first Black female governor. California elected its first Latino governor. Florida voted in its first Black governor. Michigan elected the nation's first Muslim Senator. New Hampshire elected America's first openly gay man as its junior Senator.
