Back in January, SNL star Colin Jost bought an old Staten Island Ferry with friend and SNL alum Pete Davidson. The comedians bought the boat at an auction for $280,100 with plans to restore it as a piece of New York City history, and turn it into a permanently docked entertainment space. The venture is a quirky one, but sentimental for the duo who both hail from Staten Island. However, as the more logistical aspects of owning such a large, risky piece of machinery came to light, Jost realized maybe the two got more than they bargained for. This seemed to be clear when the duo's choice for the boat’s name started to pose some difficulties.
In a hilarious interview with Late Night With Seth Meyers, Jost cataloged a lot of the nitty gritty aspects of owning a massive boat that were a surprise to him and Davidson. The Tom and Jerry star detailed that the name they chose, “Titanic 2,” was one of the major sources of the logistical hurdles he and Davidson faced. He said:
This is why idiots shouldn’t be allowed to do things. Pete and I bought this boat and there’s so many immediate decisions you have to make and one of them is like you have to create a financial entity to deal with this boat. And so we’re on a call and I’m just like, ‘Alright well how about Titanic 2?’ And so everyone on the call is like ‘Oh that’s great, let’s do that!’ So that goes into a contract. Right? Suddenly we’re looking for insurance, which we have to buy because it’s a giant deathtrap boat! So you have to get insurance, and then every insurance company’s like ‘It’s called Titanic 2?'
I personally think the name is so funny. While maybe Titanic is not the smartest thing to reference when it comes to seeking insurance, what else can you expect from two comedians buying a boat together? Any insurance company with a sense of humor should know that these two are always joking, and their Staten Island Ferry endeavor probably won’t have the same fate as its predecessor. Emphasis on "probably."
Turning the ferry into an entertainment venue strikes me as a pretty good idea as well. The boat was retired, so continuing to operate it in the same way is probably a major liability, but permanently docking it and restoring it could be a great way for these two to pay tribute to where they came from. Also an entertainment space in the form of a boat is really unique and would probably attract a lot of patrons. Jost himself has already used a different Staten Island Ferry as an event space in the past, as he and his now-wife Scarlett Johannson had their wedding on one. Jost clearly sees the potential for one of these ferries, and I’m glad he and Davidson put such a wild plan into motion.
It will probably take a while to get this entertainment venue up and running (no pun intended) as both stars currently have a lot on their plate. Jost is in the midst of another season of Saturday Night Live, acting as co-head writer and Weekend Update host alongside Michael Che. He also welcomed a baby with Johansson named Cosmo last year.
In addition, Davidson is currently filming a comedy series inspired by his own life, titled BUPKIS. He will be starring alongside acting legend Joe Pesci and it will be available for Peacock subscribers. The King of Staten Island star also has a slew of projects in production, so I think he and Jost may have to recruit others to help out with their boating venture.
Pete Davidson is no longer a part of SNL, but you can revisit him and Colin Jost performing together in previous episodes of the late night mainstay on Peacock. New episodes of SNL are currently airing on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. For more information on what is coming to the small screen this fall, check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule.
