James Talarico Makes Cameo Appearance on 'Saturday Night Live'

James Talarico Pops Up in 'SNL' Cold Opening ... Americans, It's Time For Something New!!! Published November 8, 2026 5:00 AM PST James Talarico is full of surprises ... defying the odds to win the Texas Senate race as a Democrat this past week -- and now making a cameo appearance on "Saturday Night Live!" That's right ... the man who President Trump calls "Talafreako" played himself in last night's 'SNL' cold open that poked fun at the Republicans' defeat by the Democrats during the midterm elections on Tuesday. In the sketch, Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, tells the American people that he hopes they "enjoy" who they voted for, namely Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and, "of course, down in Texas, Talafreako." Talarico then jumped onstage to a wave of applause from the crowd. The former middle school teacher, who stunningly beat Republican Ken Paxton to secure the Texas Senate seat, kicked things off by joking about sending Americans text messages every day during the Senate race asking for $5. Johnson, as Trump, quickly chimed in ... "In this economy, who can blame you?" Talarico went on to say that Americans clearly want something new, pointing out that they're tired of the show's cold opens about Trump. Talarico then joined with Johnson/Trump to shout the 'SNL' trademark introduction, "Live from New York ... " You may recall ... Talarico spoke with TMZ DC in the lead-up to Tuesday's big election, challenging Paxton to a debate on our very own airwaves. But it never materialized, and neither did a debate between the two candidates. Related articles Abdul El-Sayed Donald Trump Jon Ossoff James Talarico Ken Paxton President Trump James Talarico Ken Paxton TV Midterm Elections Election Results SNL Comedy TMZ DC Politics Comedians