Colin Jost Pleads for Staten Island Ferry Buyer on SNL
During a recent sketch on Saturday Night Live, Colin Jost made a humorous plea for someone to purchase the outdated Staten Island Ferry.
In the May 3rd episode, host Quinta Brunson and cast member Mikey Day enacted a comedic rivalry between two drivers, using exaggerated hand gestures to mock one another through the ferry’s closed car window.
Surprisingly, towards the end of the roughly three-and-a-half-minute sketch, Jost, who co-anchors “Weekend Update,” appeared and urged the characters to buy a retired ferry he acquired alongside Pete Davidson in 2022.
“Hey, did you say you love the ferry?” Jost exclaimed, pressing his hand against the window. “If you love ferries, do you want to buy it?”
“What a god, Colin Jost?” Fineman’s character, playing Day’s daughter, responded.
“It’s Colin Jost,” Day’s character interjected. “We’re fine, thank you.”
“Buy it,” Jost insisted, acting as if he were his business partner.
“Hey, hey, wait—hey, I’m Pete Davidson. Hello!” he mimicked.
Jost and Davidson bought the Orange Staten Island Ferry for $280,000 at an auction in 2022, and they claim to be “very stoned” about the deal.
“It’s definitely the stupidest and most well-thought-out purchase I’ve ever made in my life,” Jost shared with people in September. “I justified it by saying that given the square footage, if you found a decent spot for it, it’s a good price in the New York area.”
The pair envisioned turning the ferry into a $34 million entertainment venue, collaborating with architect Ron Castellano and comedy club owner Paul Italia.
Interestingly, Jokestars managed to lease the ferry for the horror film “Steamboat Willie,” which also hosted the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Show in September 2024.
“I didn’t think it would be a money pit, but you know it costs money,” Jost reflected after the fashion event. “I always thought it would be really fun. I thought it would be really fun tonight!”
Jost became a part of Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2005 and was named co-anchor for “Weekend Update” with Michael Che in 2014.
In April, Davidson shared that the floating entertainment venue would feature several restaurants, with renovations expected to take five to ten years. “We’ve completed the floor of four and have an event on the first floor,” Davidson noted. “People say, ‘I don’t think there’s anything going on with that.’ We understand nothing about the boat, but it was really fun.”
