It took winning a U.S. Senate election for James Talarico to finally make it onto late-night broadcast television.
Four days after defeating Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, Talarico made a surprise appearance in Saturday Night Live‘s cold open this weekend, trading lines with James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump and ultimately delivering the show’s famous opening announcement.
It was a full-circle moment for the senator-elect, whose attempts to appear on late-night television were twice derailed during his campaign amid concerns over FCC regulations.
Saturday’s cold open began with Democrats Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries congratulating themselves on their party’s midterm victories before Johnson’s Trump interrupted to lament his newfound status as a lame duck.
After running through a list of newly elected Democrats, Trump arrived at Texas and “Talafreako,” prompting the real Talarico to enter to cheers and applause.
“Hi, America. I’m James Talarico, the guy who’s been texting you every day asking for $5,” he said.
“In this economy, who can blame you?” Trump replied.
The cameo marked Talarico’s first appearance on a late-night broadcast since launching his Senate bid—but not for lack of trying.
In February, CBS lawyers advised The Late Show with Stephen Colbert not to air an interview with Talarico, then locked in a Democratic primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett. The network cited concerns about FCC guidance issued weeks earlier by Chairman Brendan Carr, suggesting that late-night interviews with political candidates might not qualify for the traditional exemption from equal-time requirements.
CBS denied blocking the interview, saying it had merely provided legal guidance. Colbert disputed that account and posted the conversation to YouTube instead, the night before early voting began.
The interview ultimately drew more than 9.5 million views, and Talarico’s campaign said it raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours following its release—its biggest fundraising day to that point. Two weeks later, he defeated Crockett.
In September, it happened again.
Jimmy Kimmel announced that his interview with Talarico, by then the Democratic nominee facing Paxton, would bypass ABC and appear exclusively on YouTube. Kimmel cited pressure from the FCC on his network and its local affiliates, particularly those in Texas. The White House denied that any threat had been made.
That interview drew more than 5 million views in its first 24 hours and surpassed 8 million within four days.
Back in September, Kimmel told viewers that releasing his interview with Talarico on YouTube was “the best that we can do until November.”
November has arrived. And with Talarico’s election victory behind him, the equal-time concerns that kept his previous interviews off broadcast television no longer apply.
On SNL, Talarico made the most of his newfound access, even taking a shot at the show’s own tendency to have Johnson’s Trump freeze the action during cold opens.
“It’s clear people want something new. They want something different,” Talarico told Trump. “I’m talking, of course, about SNL‘s cold opens. How many of these freezes are they going to do?”
“Infinity,” Trump replied.
“In that case, there’s only one thing left to say,” Talarico said.
“Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”
Watch Talarico’s caemo at the top of this psot.
