Why Colin Jost Waited To Ask Scarlett Johansson Out On A Date When He First Started Working At SNL

Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost married back in 2020, and they still seems to be very much in love. They have a son together named Cosmo, and Johansson even contributed to her husband getting a small role in her latest film, Fly Me to the Moon. They famously met at SNL, where Jost serves as Weekend Update anchor and Johansson has hosted multiple times. Now, Jost is opening up about meeting his wife through the NBC show and explaining why he didn't ask her out upon the very first opportunity he had

In a recent profile with the New York Times, Scarlett Johansson was candid about her marriage to the SNL actor. While they didn't start dating until 2017, they had known each other casually for quite a while. They initially met way back in 2006 when the actress hosted the show while in her early 20s and Colin Jost was a young writer on the TV institution. Apparently, dating was the least of Jost’s concerns at the time, as the comedian was just getting his feet wet at the show. Jost told the publication:

My first year as a writer, I wasn’t like, ‘I should probably ask one of the hosts out. I was like, ‘Am I going to have a job this year?’

The Black Widow star hosted a number of times following her 2006 stint, crossing paths with her eventual hubby in 2007, 2010 and 2015. However, both stars were usually seeing other people, so the opportunity to truly connect wasn’t there. When the Lost in Translation actress hosted for a fifth time in 2017, both were single, and the Tom & Jerry alum had been working at SNL for over 10 years. With that, he was confident enough to finally make a move. He recalled his first date with his future wife, saying: 

I asked her out after the host dinner that we have on Tuesday nights. I was just like, ‘You want to go grab a drink?’ Then we had drinks until, like, 4 in the morning. It was great. It was not good for my writing, but it was good for my future marriage.

Mr. Jost’s writing definitely didn’t suffer, as he suggested, and the episode was one of Ms. Johansson’s best hosting appearances on the show. The “Complicit” sketch where she played Ivanka Trump went viral, and the goofy mermaid skit was memorable as well. Finally, going on her first date with Jost was also certainly a bonus, and the two have been together ever since. The Marriage Story star has a great sense of humor, making her a perfect match for the SNL star.

The celebrity couple aren't the only pair who found love at the famed sketch show. Emma Stone met husband Dave McCary when he was a writer at the show, and Pete Davidson has met former flames Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande while he was performing as a cast member. Late nights filled with laughter are common at SNL, and the perfect conditions for a meet-cute. Thankfully, both Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson waited until the time was right to pursue their lasting love. 

You can see Scarlett Johansson in her latest film Fly Me To The Moon, which is currently in theaters and will be available for Apple TV+ subscribers in the near future. Also, make sure to check out Colin Jost on Saturday Night Live, of which Season 49 episodes are currently available to stream with a Peacock subscription.

Caroline Young
Writer

Writer, podcaster, CinemaBlend contributor, film and television nerd, enthusiastic person. Hoping to bring undying passion for storytelling to CinemaBlend.