NBC Miami — Local
08/11/2026 01:35

James Talarico, who led Democratic upset in Texas' U.S. Senate race, kicks off ‘SNL'

James Talarico, who helped lead Democratic Party upsets in the Republican stronghold of Texas with his U.S. Senate race victory Tuesday, made a surprise appearance to help kick off the latest episode of “Saturday Night Live.”

The state lawmaker and seminarian defeated GOP state Attorney General Ken Paxton as Democrats secured majorities in the House and Senate and celebrated Gina Hinojosa’s similar upset win against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

SNL’s cold open featured New York’s Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (played by Kenan Thompson) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (Sarah Sherman) celebrating Tuesday’s wins, which helped to set up Jeffries as the likely House speaker in January.

Sherman’s Schumer introduced the pair as “establishment Democrats” and asked, “Do we even know how to lose?”

Thompson’s Jeffries answered: “Yes.” Still, he suggested a toast to victory.

“We flipped the House, we flipped the Senate, and how did we do it?” he said.

“Me!” said a party crasher, President Donald Trump, played by James Austin Johnson.

He called the Democrats’ victory wave a “blue Toonami,” referring to Cartoon Network’s late-night block of anime shows, and he indicated he wouldn’t challenge the midterm election’s results.

“I accepted the results, which is almost scarier in a way,” he said. “It’s like, ‘What the hell is he planning?’ I’ll tell you what I’m planning: Ballroom.”

Trump said he hopes voters enjoy the results of the election, including the victory in Texas by the man he calls “Talafreako.”

The real Talarico then moved into the spotlight in front of Trump to loud applause from the show’s New York City studio audience.

“Hi, America,” he said. “I’m James Talarico, the guy who’s been texting you every day asking for $5.”

Trump responded, “In this economy, who can blame you?”

Talarico, who campaigned on battling wealth disparity and political corruption, suggested working with the Republican president to “make life better for everyday Americans.”

“It’s clear people want something new,” the senator-elect said. “They want something different. I’m talking of course, about SNL’s cold opens.”

He suggested voters were tired of the comedy show’s political cold-open sketches, asking, “How many of these Trump freezers are they going to do?”

“Infinity,” Trump responded.

Both then joined voices in uttering the show’s trademark introduction, “Live from New York … ”

“SNL” airs on NBC, a division of NBCUniversal, which is also the parent company of NBC News.

📄 Contenido indexado automáticamente. No es de autoría de altabusqueda.com; los derechos pertenecen a su fuente: NBC Miami — Local.
Ver nota original ↗
🤖 Profundizá esta noticia con OIMA (IA)

¿Querés un resumen rápido de esta noticia, hecho por nuestra IA?

Respuestas de OIMA · IA, sobre esta noticia · Abrir OIMA Chat ↗
💬 0

Comentarios

También te puede interesar

No. 1 Miami suffers first loss of season, falls 31-24 to No. 4 Notre Dame
NBC Miami — Local
CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 4 Notre Dame avenged its most damaging loss from la…
Results in for Doral's Councilmember Seat 2 race after manual recount, supervisor of elections says
NBC Miami — Local
One cyclist was killed and at least 12 others were injured after an elderly driver, suspected to be impaired,…
Plane crashes into pickup truck during emergency landing in Lee County, deputies say
NBC Miami — Local
One cyclist was killed and at least 12 others were injured after an elderly driver, suspected to be impaired,…
UFC head Dana White says he will meet with Trump Monday on White House press secretary offer
NBC Miami — Local
President Donald Trump on Saturday said on Truth Social that he had offered the job of White House press secr…
4 teens arrested after allegedly trying to break into building in the Keys, deputies say
NBC Miami — Local
Four teenagers accused of trying to break into a building in the Keys were arrested on Friday, deputies said.…
Gunman who killed 9 in Poland held ‘ultranationalistic' views, officials say
NBC Miami — Local
A gunman described as having “ultranationalistic” beliefs killed three relatives in his home, as well as six-…