Senator-elect James Talarico Crashes SNL's Cold Open
Texas Senator-elect James Talarico made a cameo in the cold open of Saturday Night Live on November 7, 2026, the first episode of the show after the midterm elections. A cold open is the opening sketch that runs before the show's title card, and it is often where the week's politics gets the biggest laugh.
Talarico, a Democrat, played himself. He introduced himself as "the guy who's been texting you every day asking for $5," a joke about the fundraising messages that flood political supporters' phones. Variety reported that he then asked how many more cold opens would open with President Donald Trump freezing the action for a long speech. Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, answered "Infinity!"
Johnson's Trump also complained about an onslaught of millennial cringe, according to TheWrap. Talarico spoke directly to the camera during the sketch, The Daily Beast reported, which gave viewers the feeling he was talking to them personally.
The same opening also showed Sarah Sherman as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Kenan Thompson as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The pair celebrated a "blue tsunami," a phrase for a strong Democratic showing at the polls.
The episode was hosted by comedian Druski. Variety reported that he became the first online content creator to host the show. Creators build their audiences on social media platforms rather than through television, so the booking marks a new kind of host for the long-running sketch series.
The musical guest was The Strokes, the New York rock band.
Saturday Night Live is broadcast on NBC and has run since 1975. Each episode is usually live, which means the cast and writers have only days to turn a week's news into jokes. Cameos by sitting or newly elected politicians have been a regular part of the show's history, and Talarico's appearance follows that pattern.
For viewers, the segment is a short piece of political comedy that landed on the first Saturday after Election Day. For the people who make the show, it was one more week of writing, rehearsing and performing a live sketch on a tight clock.
