Few aspects of a Saturday Night Live season are more entertaining than Colin Jost and Michael Che’s annual joke swaps. Every year, specifically around the holidays, the two write quips for the other to read on air, with the twist being that neither sees them beforehand. This year’s swap was particularly brutal, as Jost was forced to make some wild remarks about his wife, Scarlett Johansson, who was backstage at the time. Now, on the heels of SNL’s return amid the 2025 TV schedule, Jost is discussing Johansson’s honest reaction.
During that episode, Colin Jost was made to say his jokes in “Black voice” and eventually remarking on how “Scarlett just celebrated her 40th birthday, which means, I’m about to get up out of there.” He also joked about their son, Cosmo, saying that the public had yet to see a photo of him because he’s “Black as hell.” And, on top of all that, while commenting on Costco apparently removing a roast beef sandwich from its menu, Jost was forced to say “I’ve been eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid.”
Scarlett Johansson herself even seemed humorously taken aback by those last comments. Just this week, her hubby appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, during which he was asked about the jokes. Fallon specifically asked the Coming 2 America alum if he was in trouble with his wife due to the comments. In the YouTube video, the Weekend Update co-host shared humorously honest thoughts:
I’m in trouble, I think, with a lot of people. Scarlett was genuinely so shocked. … Because I was obviously surprised by everything, but they gave her a heads up. They were like, ‘Hey, would you be OK if Michael made a little, like, kind of vagina joke at some point?’ She was like, ‘Sure, whatever, I’m open to it.’ Then it was like the opposite – I didn’t know where it was going. Then the graphic came up for [Costco]. So Scarlett was backstage like, ‘Oh my god, that’s what it is!’
Colin Jost went on to say that he wasn’t faking his reaction of surprise at all, as he mentioned that he “can’t act that well.” At this point, one would think that Jost may be somewhat used to having to make jokes at his wife’s expense at one time or another. In May 2024, he was tricked into taking a shot at Scarlett Johansson involving a voice assistant inspired by the actress’ own vocals. Joke swaps aside, Weekend Update guests also manage to slide Johansson jokes in via other ways. Check out the latest joke swap below:
At the end of the day, these swaps seem to be done in good fun and don’t involve anything personal. Michael Che goes so hard on those segments because the audience must believe he’s truly trying to embarrass his co-star. Colin Jost has also gotten better at setting Che up for some humorous massive fails as well. As for Scarlett Johansson, she seems to have a good sense of humor and, if we’re being honest, she could unload on Jost if given the chance. (I’m sure she could riff on Jost’s wild Ferry purchase).
There don’t seem to be any joke swaps set for the immediate future, but tune in this weekend Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC as SNL Season 50’s latest host and musical guest will be Timothée Chalamet. You’ll also be able to access the episode using a Peacock subscription.
