Colin Jost Reacts to SNL Joke That Scarlett Johansson Carries Marriage

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Colin Jost is setting the record straight on his and Scarlett Johansson’s marriage story.

Okay, so after Michael Che actually punched them on SNL – can you believe it?! – Colin immediately had to prove to everyone, and honestly, to me, that he still belonged with them. It was like, ‘Hey, I’m still here, I’m still worthy!’ It was just… intense. I was totally glued to the screen, worried about everything!

Oh my gosh, you guys, did you SEE that on Weekend Update? It was amazing! Apparently, the winners of the wife-carrying competition in England were this incredible couple all the way from Finland! But honestly, the BEST part? Scarlett won the husband-carrying contest AGAIN! Seriously, she’s a legend. I’m obsessed with this contest, and Scarlett is my hero!

Colin, barely containing his amusement, paused until the audience quieted, then joked, “We both earn a living – it’s just that we do it in different ways.”

Michael made a teasing comment shortly after Colin, age 43, responded to the news that Zoe Saldaña had surpassed his wife as the highest-grossing actor ever.

During the January 17th episode of Saturday Night Live, a joke was made that Zoe Saldaña, star of the new Avatar film, had earned more at the box office than Scarlett Johansson, becoming the highest-grossing actress of all time. The joke continued by suggesting that if the earnings from Scarlett Johansson’s husband’s movies were included, the results might change, as a bar graph comparing their earnings was shown on screen.

Scarlett initially earned $15.4 billion, but that number fell to $15.1 billion after Colin told his joke. The comedian playfully acknowledged the drop with the audience, asking with a laugh, “Did it go down?”

Zoe Saldaña’s films have now earned a combined total of $16.8 billion at the global box office. This impressive number was boosted by the huge success of James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which earned $1.23 billion worldwide as of January 12, according to Box Office Mojo and Screen Rant.

At 41, Scarlett Johansson previously topped the list with a fortune of $16.4 billion. The rest of the top five highest earners are her Marvel co-stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Pratt.

Colin and Scarlett Johansson, who got married in 2020, often playfully tease each other while hosting Saturday Night Live. Recently, after Colin jokingly called Scarlett’s husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, ‘roast beef’ during their usual on-air exchange in 2024, Scarlett publicly commented on the moment, which quickly became popular online.

“I’m just shocked they would do that,” said the Jurassic World star, who has two children: 11-year-old Rose with her ex-husband, Romain Dauriac, and 4-year-old Cosmo with the Weekend Update co-anchor. She told InStyle in a March 2025 interview that it was “really vulgar, really gross, and just…old-fashioned gross.”

And even Colin acknowledged that perhaps the joke went too far.

He admitted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January 2025 that he believed he’d upset a lot of people. He also said Scarlett was truly surprised by whatever happened.

Read on for more jaw-dropping SNL jokes about Scarlett and Colin…

Weekend Update had its most explicit moment yet on the December 21, 2024 episode. You can watch the segment here.

During a recent segment on Weekend Update, Colin Jost shared a joke written by Michael Che about Costco removing its roast beef sandwich. Jost delivered the lines without knowing what they were beforehand, and the joke referenced his own habit of eating roast beef nightly since his child was born.

Scarlett Johansson, who has a 3-year-old son named Cosmo with her husband Colin Jost and a 10-year-old daughter named Rose from a previous marriage, was seen watching Jost perform on TV backstage. She excitedly mouthed “Oh my God!” as she watched.

The actress’ husband continued, “No, no, I’m just playin’, baby. You know I don’t go downtown.”

Jost and Johansson got even with Che for a prank they played on him during the season 50 finale of SNL in May 2025. You can see the relevant segment from Weekend Update here.

Che admitted to the actress that during a previous ‘joke swap,’ he’d made inappropriate and offensive jokes at Colin’s expense, specifically comparing her anatomy to something from Costco. He explained that these jokes weren’t meant to be genuinely hurtful, but rather stemmed from his own insecurities – he confessed he’s never actually seen a vagina before.

Che then apologized to his fellow cast member, Colin. He explained that he was deeply grateful, saying Colin had essentially given him his start. He jokingly recalled a difficult time in his past, admitting he used to sell drugs near the Bronx Zoo, contrasting it with his current, though still illicit, activity – selling drugs near the American Girl store.

Colin shared a joke from Che about being able to watch Scarlett Johansson’s smaller, independent films now that the year’s final Weekend Update was over. You can watch the SNL clip here.

In March 2024, Che included a joke about Johansson’s appearance while writing for Jost on the final Weekend Update of the season. You can watch the segment here.

Colin Jost joked that ChatGPT’s new voice assistant, which is similar to the AI character from the movie Her, doesn’t appeal to him. He quipped that without a physical body, he doesn’t see the value in listening to it.

Che had Jost reference Johansson after reporting some movie casting news. (Watch the segment here.)

The singer Scott Stapp, best known as the frontman for Creed, is set to portray Frank Sinatra in a new film. Even better, Scarlett Johansson will be taking on the role of Sammy Davis Jr., according to the actress’ husband.

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2026-03-15 20:47