Michael Che and Colin Jost’s joke swap has become an anticipated event for regular Saturday Night Live viewers. It’s rough around the edges, raunchy and generally always includes late-night worthy subject matter that leaves both hosts laughing and red in the face. This year, Scarlett Johansson got caught in the crosshairs, and she opened up about being prepped for the moment and feeling like she was on the 2000s show To Catch A Predator.
SNL is continuing to thrive in its 50th season, as it has more stellar upcoming hosts and musical acts coming on the 2025 TV schedule. And while the late-night sketch show can have some great fun poking at celebrities a la Chloe Fineman's impression of Timothée Chalamet, many think the 2024 joke swap went too far in regards to Johansson. So, the MCU actress weighed in on the infamous evening on TODAY with Jenna & Friends. She shared that she had relatively loose parameters when it came to the jokes, noting that she didn't want to get canceled or divorced because of them, and she agreed to them filming her reactions, saying:
Oh gosh, are we reliving the joke swap? … It’s wrong. It’s just wrong, you guys. … Oh my god, it got so vulgar. I was genuinely… I got a little prep. [They asked if I] maybe want to participate. I said, ‘I don’t want to get canceled or divorced.’ Those are my boundaries. And then they say, ‘OK, well fine. What if we just tape you listening to the jokes?’ I was like, ‘OK, that seems fine… tame-ish.’
The actress seemed like she was game and knew what she was walking into pre-show, but she was still skeptical. I think the boundaries she outlined were smart, and although the co-anchors push limits, it’s been in good fun. So, I totally get why ScarJo was feeling this way going into the saw.
Then, the Lucy star went on to share what happened live and how everything changed as the segment went on. She noted that she felt like she was cornered and on an incredibly uncomfortable and nerve wracking makeshift-stage, becoming more shocked with each punchline. The Lost in Translation alum was thankful to have a stiff cocktail and a fellow 5-Timer who wasn’t cool with the jokes nearby, as she said:
Honestly, Jenna, I felt like it was To Catch a Predator, when the lights kind of came on me and, suddenly, there was a whole audience, and I was there with, thankfully, a very stiff cocktail. … That’s genuine shock. … Emma Stone, who is also there because we’re doing a five-timer’s thing for Martin Short, turned to me and she went, ‘That was not OK. That was not OK.’ My heart was racing, my eyes were watering, my hands were like this [shakes hands].
Johansson’s reaction is not a surprise in the slightest, you could feel her alarming emotions through the screen. Each time it panned back to her, viewers like me became as shocked if not more so for her. That Weekend Update unsurprisingly produced a lot of buzz and Jost's side of the jarring joke swap circulated soon thereafter. Overall, while funny at times, it was intense to watch, and I can't say I blame the actress for having the reaction she had.
Johansson isn’t dwelling on the Jost-Che joke swap in this New Year, though. She has plenty to gear up for this 2025 movie schedule with the July 2nd release of Jurassic World: Rebirth. So, there's a lot to get excited about from her, and maybe it'll result in her hosting SNL again, just minus the wild jokes like the ones from the swap.
You can watch Saturday Night Live on the titular night at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. You can also stream it, and the episode referenced above, with a Peacock subscription.
