Marrying a comedian comes with the territory where you laugh, roll your eyes, and occasionally find yourself at the sharp end of a joke that lands just a little too well. But even then, you don’t expect to be roasted on live television in front of millions. Scarlett Johansson, however, got exactly that treatment when her husband, Colin Jost, threw a curveball during a Saturday Night Live skit. To the actress, it wasn’t just any joke but a full-on, jaw-dropping, “Did he really just say that?” moment.
It all went down on the Christmas episode of SNL during the ever-unpredictable “Weekend Update” segment. Jost and his co-host, Michael Che, were tackling a round of blind joke reads—lines they hadn’t seen before—and were forced to deliver them live on air. Jost’s reaction said it all. As soon as the Black Widow star’s name popped up on the teleprompter, his face screamed regret, but he still knew that the show must go on. “I want to dedicate this next joke to my boo, Scarlett Johansson,” he began. Meanwhile, backstage, Scarlett Johansson was already in full oh-no-what-now mode, visibly recoiling as the camera zoomed in on her reaction.
The jokes initially seemed harmless enough, much to the relief of the couple. But then came the kicker, and Jost was forced to read out, “Costco has removed the roast beef sandwich from its menu – but I ain’t trippin’… I’ve been eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid.” The reaction to the vile joke? A collective gasp and a stunned Scarlett Johansson with a hand over her mouth. And then, as if trying to backpedal while already off the cliff, Jost added, “No, no, I’m just playin’, baby. You know I don’t go downtown!”
In a recent interview with InStyle, Johansson didn’t hold back, calling the joke “so vulgar” and straight-up “gross.” “I just can’t believe that they went there. I was like – it was so gross. It was really gross. And, like, old-school gross,” the star added. And while she had initially been cool with the idea of a joke in that realm, it all hit differently when the Costco image flashed up on the screen. “I was like, ‘No! No! Michael!’” the mum-of-two recalled.
Then came the real kicker. As the camera crew caught her reaction in real-time, she suddenly felt overwhelmed, like she had unknowingly walked into an ambush. “The fact that it took on a full To Catch a Predator-style reveal or whatever, that was so intense,” she said. “All of a sudden, it was like a whole bunch of people holding up lights, and a guy with a video camera. They were waiting for me to react. I felt insane. I was like, ‘I think I’m going to faint.’”
And it wasn’t just her. Colin Jost later admitted to her, “Me too.” The fraught moment exposed the risks that come with loving a comedian, especially when that comedian lives in the public eye. While many couples joke around behind closed doors, not all of them have their banter broadcast live to millions across the nation.
This incident underscores the balance between humor and respect within relationships, particularly in the entertainment industry where boundaries can often blur. Johansson’s feelings after the joke reflect a broader conversation on the ethics of comedy and the implications of personal jokes made in such public settings.
As the dust settles on this specific incident, it serves as a reminder of both the joys and perils of marrying a comedian. Whether roasted in jest or pain, the couple continues to navigate their relationship amidst public scrutiny and laughter, proving that humor, while an essential glue in many relationships, can at times also be a double-edged sword.
