Colin Jost and fellow SNL veteran Pete Davidson are incredibly close – so close that they made an interesting investment a few years ago. In a surprising move, the two comedians bought a ferry together for a whopping total of $280,000. (Yeah, you read that right.) Since then, there have not only been various accounts about why Davidson and Jost acquired the boat but also what they ultimately planned to do with it. Now, Jost is getting real about how Johansson reacted to what he now refers to as “absolutely the dumbest” purchase.
Let’s be real, many of us have surely made impulsive purchases in our time, whether they be on clothes, jewelry or electronics. However, I’d imagine that very few of us can say that we’ve bought a massive boat on a whim. Colin Jost recently recalled having done just that in 2022, and it sounds like he doesn’t think too highly of that decision. He told People that he now considers it the most “least-thought-through” buying decision he’s ever made. Additionally, the Weekend Update host explained how he justified it to himself at the time:
It is absolutely the dumbest and least thought-through purchase I've ever made in my life. The way I justified it is for the amount of money we were putting into buying it, on just a basic square-footage level, is if you found the right place for it to be, you were essentially buying a building on its side that's 65,000 square feet. So around New York, that is a very good price per square foot.
Pete Davidson previously claimed that he and Colin Jost were high when they bought the 60-year-old ferry. However, Jost later stated that he wasn’t high but found it more concerning that he made that transaction while “stone-cold sober.” What’s even wilder is that the boat was reportedly a major fixer-upper, which could’ve been viable had a shrewd business plan been in place right away. However, Jost and Davidson have apparently dragged their feet on that front.
So how exactly do you tell your spouse that you randomly bought a massive transport boat that’s not even sea-worthy? Well, as the Coming 2 America star explained during his interview it sparked an intriguing conversation. Scarlett Johansson, who married the SNL star in 2020, ended up asking a direct and “very fair” question upon learning the news. As for how she feels now, she’s apparently been emphaszing one specific point to her hubby and his buddy:
She was just like, 'Wait, so you own this boat now?' Very fair question. She now obviously sees the value in it, but also I think she's like, 'It's now become something that is a defining thing for you guys and an interesting thing for you guys. So you should take it seriously and figure out the best version of it, because for better or worse, it's going to reflect on you.' We don't care because we're comedians.
By all accounts, the two comics really don’t care, at this point. Earlier this year, it was reported that Colin Jost and Pete Davidson planned to make the ferry into an entertainment venue with plenty of offerings for visitors. However, the boat, which they humorously called “Titanic 2” hasn’t seen much activity, though a few renovations have been made. Locals in New York were also beginning to take issue with the boat, with one saying “it belongs in the scrap yard.” With that, Davidson and Jost may want to heed Scarlett Johansson’s advice, though it’s hard to say if they actually will.
Check out Colin Jost when he returns to the Weekend Update desk amid the premiere of Saturday Night Live Season 50 on September 28 amid the 2024 TV schedule. You can also revisit his and Pete Davidson’s funniest bits in past episodes by streaming them with a Peacock subscription.
