It’s not every day your husband and his pal drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on a decommissioned Staten Island ferryboat.
But on one fateful day in 2022, Scarlett Johansson received a text from husband Colin Jost informing her that was exactly what had happened. Jost and Pete Davidson had purchased the passenger vessel for $280,100, as the New York Times previously reported. The 277-foot John F. Kennedy ferryboat, which once carried 3,000 passengers daily between Staten Island and Manhattan, was now owned by two “Saturday Night Live” icons.
On an upcoming episode of the “SmartLess” podcast (airing May 4), which People got an early listen of, Jost revealed the specific text message he sent to Johansson post-ferry purchase and her epic response.
The “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” host explained that after making the gargantuan purchase, he texted his wife: “‘Guess what? We own a ferry now.’” Johansson’s response wasn’t exactly congratulatory. “And she was like, ‘We?’” Jost recalled.
As for what she said when he got home, that’s unknown. But Jost explained on the episode that she wasn’t completely caught off guard as he had “soft-floated” the idea past her before making the purchase. Still, she remained skeptical.
“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,’” he said of Johansson’s view. He then added: “We don’t care because we’re comedians.”
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During the episode, Jost further defended the purchase, explaining his “real estate” logic. “If you put that on a dock in Manhattan, you’ve suddenly got basically a building on the waterfront,” he explained.
Though it should be noted that he didn’t seem as pleased with the purchase two years ago when he told People: “It is absolutely the dumbest and least thought-through purchase I’ve ever made in my life,”
Paul Italia, owner of The Stand comedy club, was also involved in the purchase, per the outlet. And the group reportedly envisioned transforming the vessel into a floating event space with restaurants, bars, and hotels. While those plans haven’t exactly panned out, they have hosted several events on board, including a Tommy Hilfiger New York Fashion Week show in 2024. Jost shared on the podcast that he and Davidson have almost broken even on the investment because of the events hosted.
As for the future? Jost envisions the boat eventually functioning as an “operating entertainment club” or a “middle-class, Manhattan swim club” that accommodates both special events and regular use.
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