Scarlett Johansson Stunned by Colin Jost’s Vulgar SNL Joke

Scarlett Johansson was left reeling during the December 21, 2024, episode of Saturday Night Live when her husband, Colin Jost, delivered a shocking and vulgar joke about her during the show’s annual “Weekend Update” joke swap segment. The tradition, where Jost and co-anchor Michael Che write provocative jokes for each other to read blind on air, took a particularly personal turn this year, with Johansson present backstage, her reactions captured live for the audience.

The controversial moment came when Jost, visibly hesitant, read a joke penned by Che: “Costco has removed the roast beef sandwich from its menu, but I ain’t tripping. I’ve been eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid.” The camera immediately cut to Johansson, who appeared stunned, mouthing “Oh my God!” as the audience gasped and laughed. The crude reference to her body, tied to the birth of their son Cosmo in 2021, left the Black Widow star visibly shaken. In a later interview with InStyle on March 11, 2025, Johansson called the joke “so vulgar” and “old-school gross,” admitting she felt like she might “faint” under the spotlight of the live cameras. “It was like a To Catch a Predator-style reveal,” she added, describing the intensity of the moment.

Johansson revealed she had been warned about a potential “vagina joke” but underestimated its explicitness. “I thought, ‘How bad could it be?’ Then the Costco graphic popped up, and I was like, ‘No, Michael!’” she recalled. The actress, who has hosted SNL six times and is part of its Five-Timers Club, noted that even fellow star Emma Stone, present for the episode’s five-timers sketch, remarked, “That was not okay.”

Jost, 42, later admitted on The Tonight Show on January 20, 2025, that the joke landed him “in trouble with a lot of people,” including his wife, who was “genuinely so shocked.” He explained that SNL producers had vaguely prepped Johansson about a risqué joke, but neither she nor Jost knew its full extent until it aired. The couple, married since 2020, later discussed the incident at home, with Johansson telling Jost, “My nerves are shot,” to which he replied, “Me too.”

The fallout continued into SNL’s season 50 finale on May 17, 2025, when Che apologized to Johansson on air, humorously admitting jealousy over never having “seen a human vagina.” The apology, written by Jost, was part of another joke swap, allowing Johansson to reclaim the narrative with poise. This incident has sparked discussions about boundaries in comedy, with Johansson’s candid response highlighting the personal impact of such humor, even in a lighthearted SNL tradition.