Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost cracked a joke about his own wife — and he didn’t even see it coming.
For the final show of 2020, the longtime Weekend Update “anchor” on NBC’s late-night sketch comedy series engaged in his annual joke swap tradition with co-star Michel Che, but it was Che who emerged the winner by penning the ultimate burn about Jost’s actress wife, actress Scarlett Johansson.
At the beginning of the segment, the duo explained that they write jokes for the other to read live on-air without getting a chance to see them first.
As usual, Jost was saddled with several racist jokes which caused Che to roll his eyes with “surprise” at his co-anchor’s insensitive tone. But Che’s final joke for Jost really caught him off guard as he read an announcement about a new biopic about Frank Sinatra.
“It was announced that Creed singer Scott Stapp will play Frank Sinatra in an upcoming movie,” Jost read off the teleprompter.
“But the good news is Sammy Davis Jr. will be played by Scarlett Johansson.”
Jost shook his head and laughed at the joke but was clearly embarrassed that he burned his own wife by suggesting she would be taking on the role of a Black man.
You can see the hilarious segment below.
In comments to the video of the segment posted on the official Saturday Night Live YouTube channel, fans agreed that Che is the king of brutal burns agianst his co-star in the annual swap.
“Sammy Davis Jr will be played by Scarlett Johansson…. Sorry Colin but you’re never gonna win joke swap,” one viewer wrote.
“LOL, Che hitting Jost’s wife is just next level squirm,” another added.
“Che GOT him and you can feel it at the end when he’s laughing and seemingly ready to flee at the same time!”
In recent years, Johansson has caused controversy for taking on certain movie roles. When she landed the lead role as an Asian woman in the film Ghost in the Shell , producers were accused of whitewashing and appropriation. The actress later came under fire when she was cast as a transgender man in the 2018 film Rub and Tug . She ultimately quit the role amid a firestorm of controversy but defended her right to play any character she wants.
“As an actor, I should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal because that is my job and the requirements of my job,” Johansson told As If magazine, per CNN .
She later clarified that her hope was that all art forms would be “immune” to political correctness, but added that she will always support “diversity in every industry and will continue to fight for projects where everyone is included.”