Entertainmentupdated 13m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 13 January 2025James Talarico Crashes SNL Cold Open, Texting Audience for $5 After Texas Win Over Ken Paxton
“forced himself in front of Trump’s character”
“A senator or senator-elect, however, is rarer”
Photo: Antonioaesparza, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
James Talarico, Texas senator-elect, appeared as himself in SNL's cold open. He crashed the Trump sketch, interrupting the President character.
Save coverage image
Talarico Crashes the Sketch
James Talarico, the Texas senator-elect, appeared as himself in Saturday Night Live’s cold open after the show froze its action on Donald Trump played by James Austin Johnson. Talarico told the studio audience, "Hi America, I am James Talarico, the guy who has been texting you everyday asking for $5," and Johnson’s Trump replied, "In this economy, who can blame you." Talarico then asked how many more of SNL’s Trump-themed cold opens the audience would have to endure, and Johnson’s Trump answered, "Infinity."
“Talarico: ‘Hi America, I am James Talarico, the guy who has been texting you everyday asking for $5.’”
Talarico closed the sketch by invoking the show’s opening line, "Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night Live," as the cold open shifted from midterm postmortem to a direct message about cooperation. Talarico’s cameo came days after Talarico’s Texas win over Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the exchange took place inside an SNL cold open where Sarah Sherman played Chuck Schumer and Kenan Thompson played Hakeem Jeffries.
Trump, Schumer, Jeffries
Sarah Sherman’s Schumer and Kenan Thompson’s Jeffries celebrated Democratic gains in the cold open, with Jeffries asking, "Do we even know how to lose?" and Thompson’s Jeffries answering, "Yes." Johnson’s Trump then claimed, "Me!" as he took credit for the Democrats’ victories, and he framed the midterms through the lens of "this horrible economy and terrible war." Talarico used the sketch to pivot toward cooperation, telling Trump, "if we can work together, we can make life better for everyday Americans," and he tied the message to voters wanting "something new" and "something different."
The cold open also included Johnson’s Trump listing newly elected senators, and the exchange reached its punchline when Trump responded to Talarico’s question about repetition with "Infinity." The Los Angeles Times said the moment mattered because SNL had shied away from politician cameos during the run up to the midterms, and it noted that Talarico’s Thursday interview with the Texas Democrat was set to play on YouTube rather than television.
Late-Night Equal-Time Fight
Talarico’s Thursday interview with the Texas Democrat was set to play on YouTube rather than on television "out of consideration for our ... ABC affiliates in Texas who would have to deal with this nonsense," as the sketch show leaned into post-election politics.
CBS and ABC executives and lawyers cited concerns about Federal Communications Commission equal-time requirements under chairman Brendan Carr, and the rule required broadcasters to provide equal access to competing political candidates.
The equal-time issue also emerged after Kamala Harris’ SNL appearance, and Talarico’s interviews with Colbert and Kimmel ended up on their show’s YouTube accounts.
Talarico’s cameo came just days after he won the Texas senate race with 55.09% of the vote, beating Ken Paxton and flipping the seat Democrat for the first time since 1988.
The Hollywood Reporter framed the cameo as a surprise appearance at the end of the sketch, and it quoted Talarico’s line about texting for $5 as the moment that drew cheers and applause from the show’s New York City studio audience.