Colin Jost Was Tricked Into Making A Joke About Scarlett Johansson On “Saturday Night Live”
There’s an annual holiday tradition at Saturday Night Live, in which Colin Jost and his Weekend Update co-host Michael Che will write jokes for each other, in secret, then force each other to perform said jokes live, with no prior knowledge of what they might be reading off their cue cards. Personally, I’d rather my co-worker surprise me with a cheese plate, but a gift is a gift. Usually, the jokes are made at the expense of the other in an embarrassing way, like Colin Jost writing a joke for Michael Che which implied he’s been fucking Sanderson sisters-levels of women (as you’ll see). But this year, Colin’s wife of two months was dragged into the cringefest as well.
Colin kicks off the segment with an offensive joke involving the COVID-19 vaccine and the Black community written by Michael Che). Then Michael’s Hocus Pocus joke, then another offensive joke from Colin, and a joke from Michael Che about Jeffrey Epstein that ends with him pointing to the sky and saying, “Rest in power, king.” But finally, the last joke goes to Colin. The set up is taken from the news earlier this week that Creed frontman Scott Stapp had been cast as Frank Sinatra in an upcoming Ronald Reagan biopic. It turned into a joke about Scarlett Johansson’s more questionable acting choices.
“It was announced that Creed singer Scott Stapp will play Frank Sinatra in an upcoming movie. But the good news is Sammy Davis Jr. will be played by Scarlett Johansson.”
There's no Christmas tradition like the Colin-and-Che-Joke-Swap tradition. pic.twitter.com/KEJ6aGujWJ
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 20, 2020
I know everyone wants to think Scarlett got pissed off at the joke. But I don’t think so. Based on what Scarlett herself has said previously about being able to play whatever character she wants, I wouldn’t be surprised if she called up her agent and asked, “Really? I got the part of Sammy Davis Jr.? Are you sure the internet will be okay with this? After all, they weren’t too happy the last time I was cast as a man.”
And in other Saturday Night Live news (and also casting news, so – two birds!), we have the breaking news that after playing Joe Biden for all of two months, Jim Carrey’s time on SNL is done. Jim Carrey made the announcement on Saturday, before that night’s episode, which featured a cold open starring SNL cast member Alex Moffat as Biden.
Though my term was only meant to be 6 weeks,I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL President…comedy’s highest call of duty. I would love to go forward knowing that Biden was the victor because I nailed that shit. But I am just one in a long line of proud, fighting SNL Bidens!
— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) December 19, 2020
Alex Moffat also made a fourth-wall joke about the casting change, saying that this time next year, it could be a KFC-style casting sub-in, with Mario Lopez playing Biden.
Get in here, Joe. pic.twitter.com/U9EScBho5V
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 20, 2020
At the rate they’re going through Bidens, I wouldn’t put it past Lorne Michaels to call Mario Lopez sometime in March 2021, and ask whether he’s allergic to spirit gum and if he’s got a Biden impression up his sleeve. And I’m sure Mario would do it and would volunteer to do other characters as well. His only stipulation would be a guarantee that no one will threaten his macho masculinity by putting him in a dress.
Pic: NBC