The “SNL” vets bought the decommissioned ferry back in 2023, with Jost joking on “Weekend Update” that they definitely “thought the whole thing through.”

Colin Jost reveals wife Scarlett Johansson’s shocked reaction to his buying Staten Island Ferry with Pete Davidson

The "SNL" vets bought the decommissioned ferry back in 2023, with Jost joking on "Weekend Update" that they definitely "thought the whole thing through."

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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April 28, 2026 6:37 p.m. ET

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Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson in New York City in 2025. Credit:

Michael Loccisano/Getty

- Colin Jost is revealing the reaction his wife, Scarlett Johansson, had to learning he bought the Staten Island Ferry with Pete Davidson.

- "I texted Scarlett, like, 'Guess what? We own a ferry now,'" he shared on the May 4 episode of the *Smartless *podcast. "And she was like, 'We?'"

- The *Saturday Night Live *pals and Staten Island natives purchased the decommissioned ferry in 2023, and he says they're working to turn it into a traveling event space.

Before Colin Jost and Pete Davidson shocked America by purchasing the Staten Island Ferry, Jost performed a test run by breaking the news to his wife, Scarlett Johansson.

The pair moved quickly in 2023 to scoop up the former commuter ferry, which shuttled New Yorkers back and forth from Staten Island to Manhattan for decades, before being decommissioned in 2022.

Since then, they've both joked about the somewhat speculative investment, with Davidson noting (to Jost's objection) that the pair were "very stoned" at the time of purchase, and are now "in the hole" financially.

But on the upcoming May 4 episode of the *SmartLess *podcast, Jost defended the purchase, outlined the pair's plans for the storied vessel, and humorously recalled Johansson's shock upon learning she'd been roped into co-owning such a strange asset.

Colin Jost on the Staten Island Ferry in 2024.

Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty

"You paid, you still have to pay, like, don't you," cohost Sean Hayes stammered, attempting to get his head around Jost's ownership plan. "These are [the] exact questions a financial advisor asks me," Jost laughed.

The longtime *Saturday Night Live** *writer, and one half of the show's beloved *Weekend Update* segment explained that the ferry — this specific vessel — held sentimental value for him. "It was this one" Jost took to Regis High School on the Upper East Side each day from his home on Staten Island. When it went up for auction for a measly $280,100, Jost said he "texted Pete, which is the wrong person to text with when you have an idea like this. And I was like, 'Should we buy this?'"

Davidson responded with an enthusiastic "'F--- yeah, we've got to do this,'" per Jost. That was it. They went for it, and won. Then came the after-purchase announcements.

Jost first texted his father, "who is a teacher on Staten Island. And he literally was like, 'Did you do your homework?' Which is such a teacher thing to say. I was like, 'Dad, I'm just sort of texting you as a formality. I already bought the boat. Then I texted Scarlett, like, 'Guess what? We own a ferry now.' And she was like, 'We?'"

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Jost and Davidson's last public update on their ferry came when the *King of Staten Island *star stopped by *Weekend Update* in November, where he joked, "In case you're wondering why I had to do a show in Saudi Arabia, we're losing millions on this ferry."

Half a year later on *SmartLess*, Jost outlined the very serious plan that the pair, plus Rob Castellano, their architect co-owner, have for the ferry.

"I was thinking in a real estate way, if you put it somewhere, it's 70,000 square feet. So I was like, 'If you put that on a dock in Manhattan, you've suddenly got basically a building on the waterfront."

Pete Davidson and Colin Jost on 'Saturday Night Live' in 2022.

Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

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Though they're still tied up in a "long process" involving permitting, parking, and environmental regulations, Jost imagines two ways forward for the ferry. First would be "operating it like club, a place where you can go have parties." Then there's the more altruistic vision.

"Growing up in Staten Island, I went to this place called the Great Hills Swim Club," Jost explained. "It was a swim club where people would just go and the kids could all hang out, the adults could hang out. I could imagine creating a place like that, that's not a weird fancy members club, but is actually more middle class in Manhattan." He imagined a swimming board on the deck, and a seasonal transfer to Miami to take advantage of Florida's sunny winters.

"It's going to be fine," Jost reassured his interviewers, joking, "Is this a good financial sign where you're like, 'It's fine!'"

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