After the Democratic Party’s major victories in the midterm elections this week, it’s no surprise that “Saturday Night Live’s” cold open was political in nature.
But there was a surprise guest: the newly elected senator from Texas, James Talarico.
The cold open began with a conversation between Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (Kenan Thompson) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (Sarah Sherman), the minority leaders of the House and Senate (and possible future majority leaders), respectively, as they celebrated their party’s victory, including flipping Texas blue — for which they took credit. (Schumer: “It was all me. I found the candidates, I recruited them. And as a sign of respect, they begged me not to show up at their campaign events.”)
Jeffries promised that their first thing would be to walk up to President Trump and say, “Hey, stop, Buster. »
But Trump (James Austin Johnson), no slouch, interrupted to take credit for Democratic victories – thanks to “the horrible economy and the terrible war.” “So, in the words of Moana’s great friend, ‘You’re welcome,'” he said.
After an appearance by JD Vance (Jeremy Culhane) and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost), as well as Trump’s complaints about having to work with millennials and the return of their optimism, he began listing some of the newly elected senators who would be arriving in Washington: “Jon Ossoff, or as I call him Thinky Herman. Abdul El-Sayed, or as I call him, Mamdani for the men. Well Of course, in Texas, Talafreako then entered the frame to the applause and cheers of the audience, leading to this exchange:
Talarico: “Hello America, I’m James Talarico, the guy who texts you every day asking for $5.”
Trump: “In this economy, who can blame you. »
Talarico: “But I think, Mr. President, if we can work together, we can improve the lives of ordinary Americans. It’s clear that people want something new. They want something different. I’m talking about the SNL cold opens of course. How many of these Trump freezes are going to do?”
Trump: “Infinity.”
Talarico: “Well in that case, there’s only one thing to say: live from New York, it’s Saturday Night Live.”
It’s a landmark moment for Talarico and “SNL,” which had been reluctant to make appearances by politicians in the run-up to the midterm elections, as in previous election cycles (former Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Nikki Haley made appearances during the 2024 presidential campaign). For Talarico, it was the first time he appeared on a late-night television show since beginning his Senate campaign. Previous attempts to appear for interviews on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” were blocked by CBS and ABC executives and lawyers, who cited threats from the FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, over the equal time rule, which requires broadcasters to provide equal access to competing political candidates. In the past, daytime and late-night shows were not considered subject to the rule, but Carr said otherwise. The issue also arose after Harris’ appearance on “SNL.” (Talarico’s interviews with Colbert and Kimmel ended up on their show’s YouTube accounts.)
Trump has sharply criticized late-night talk show hosts and “SNL” during his tenure as president. While Talarico has denounced the policies of Trump and his administration in the past, his message on Saturday was much more conciliatory. It remains to be seen whether Trump will accept the olive branch.
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