James Talarico wins the most expensive Senate race in history by 12 points. Then he walks onto the SNL stage and makes a confession

Texas senator-elect James Talarico made a surprise appearance on the Saturday Night Live cold open, marking a victory lap after winning the most expensive Senate race in the history of the United States. He appeared as himself, directly addressing the audience to poke fun at his own campaign tactics. Talarico said,” I am James Talarico, the guy who has been texting you every day asking for five dollars.” He then added, “In this economy, who can blame you?”

This appearance followed his win against Republican opponent Ken Paxton by a margin of 12 points. The result successfully turned a Texas Senate seat blue for the first time in over 30 years. His campaign relied heavily on the grassroots fundraising efforts he was mocking during his time on stage. The sketch also featured James Austin Johnson, who portrays President Donald Trump. Johnson was playing the president reacting to the recent midterm election results, where Democrats gained at least 42 seats in the House and seven in the Senate.

Johnson’s version of the president expressed a strange reaction to the defeat. Trump said, “I did not even say it was rigged. He continued, I accepted the results, which is even scarier in a way. It is like, What the h**** is he planning?” The character also lamented the shift in political power by blaming the age of the new class of Democrats. He stated, “The next few years are going to be horrible. It is not that they are Democrats; it is that they are Millennials.”

Talarico did not stop at self-deprecation regarding his fundraising texts

He also used his time to comment on the sketch format itself. He told the audience that people want something new and different. He then pivoted to address the president directly. Talarico asked how long the president would continue doing this shtick. The response from Johnson’s Trump was simply, “Infinity.”

The appearance serves as a bookend for Talarico following a controversy in September. At that time, FCC chair Brendan Carr led efforts to move a scheduled appearance of Talarico on Jimmy Kimmel Live! from broadcast television to YouTube. The move was triggered by an equal-time provision regarding political candidates. With the election now finished and Talarico serving as a senator-elect, that issue is no longer relevant.

The sketch also included appearances by Sarah Sherman as Chuck Schumer and Kenan Thompson as Hakeem Jeffries. They spent time taking credit for the recent midterm victories before describing their plans for the new term. Thompson’s Jeffries joked about their approach to the president. He said, “As our first order of business, we are going to march right up to Donald Trump, look him right in the eye and say, Knock it off, buster.”

Colin Jost also appeared in the sketch as Pete Hegseth. There are rumors that the defense secretary may leave the administration, which could signal the end of Jost’s impression of him. Jost’s character joked about his situation before exiting the stage. He said, “I live a YOLO life: you only lose often.”

Druski hosted the episode on November 9.