Colin Jost facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colin Jost
Jost at Citi Field in 2015
Birth name	Colin Kelly Jost
Born	(1982-06-29) June 29, 1982 (age 42) New York City, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up television film
Education	Harvard University (BA)
Years active	2005–present
Genres	Political/news satire observational comedy sketch comedy
Subject(s)	Mass media/news media American politics American culture current events pop culture
Spouse	Scarlett Johansson ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	1

Colin Kelly Jost (born June 29, 1982) is an American comedian, writer, and actor. He is best known for his work on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (often called SNL).

Jost has been a writer for Saturday Night Live since 2005. Since 2014, he has been a co-anchor of the show's popular Weekend Update segment. He also helped lead the writing team as a co-head writer from 2012 to 2015, and again from 2017 to 2022, working with Michael Che.

Early life and education

Colin Jost was born on June 29, 1982, in New York City. He grew up in the Grymes Hill area of Staten Island. His mother, Kerry J. Kelly, was a top medical officer for the New York City Fire Department. His father, Daniel A. Jost, was a teacher.

Colin has a younger brother named Casey Jost. Casey is also a writer and producer for the show Impractical Jokers. Colin was raised in the Catholic faith.

Jost went to Regis High School in Manhattan. There, he was the editor of the school newspaper, The Owl. He graduated in 2000.

After high school, he studied history and literature at Harvard University. He focused on Russian literature and British literature. He was also the president of The Harvard Lampoon, a famous humor magazine. In 2004, he graduated from Harvard with a degree in arts.

Career highlights

After college, Colin Jost worked as a reporter and editor for a local newspaper, Staten Island Advance. He then got a job writing for a short-lived cartoon show called Kappa Mikey.

In 2005, he sent his writing samples to NBC's Saturday Night Live. He was hired as a writer for the show.

From 2009 to 2012, Jost was a writing supervisor for SNL. He became a co-head writer from 2012 to 2015. He returned to this role from 2017 to 2022. He often worked closely with fellow SNL writer Rob Klein.

During a break from SNL in 2013, the show's producer, Lorne Michaels, asked Jost to join Weekend Update. This happened because co-anchor Seth Meyers was leaving to host his own show. Jost agreed and took over Meyers' spot on March 1, 2014.

Jost has now been the longest-serving anchor of the Weekend Update segment. He broke Seth Meyers' record on October 23, 2021. He has said that comedian Norm Macdonald and Tina Fey influenced his Weekend Update style.

Besides Weekend Update, Jost has played different characters on SNL. He has appeared as Ohio Governor John Kasich and his friend Pete Buttigieg. He also played Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL.

Jost is also a stand-up comedian. He has performed on shows like Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and on TBS and HBO. He has been featured at the Just for Laughs comedy festivals in Montréal and Chicago.

He has written articles for magazines like The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine. He also wrote and had a small role in the 2015 comedy movie Staten Island Summer. In 2016, he appeared in the movie How to Be Single.

In September 2018, Colin Jost co-hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards with Michael Che.

Jost and Michael Che also appeared on WWE's Monday Night Raw in 2019. They were announced as special reporters for WrestleMania 35. They even got involved in a storyline with wrestler Braun Strowman and participated in a wrestling match at WrestleMania.

In July 2020, Jost released his memoir, a type of autobiography, called A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir. The book was very popular and became a New York Times Bestseller.

On April 27, 2024, Jost hosted the White House Correspondents' Dinner. This is an event where reporters gather, and a comedian usually performs. Jost made jokes about politicians and talked about the importance of a free press.

Jost also had a small role in the 2024 movie Fly Me to the Moon, which starred his wife, Scarlett Johansson.

On July 31, 2024, it was announced that Jost will host a new game show called Pop Culture Jeopardy! on Amazon Prime Video.

Personal life

Jost and Scarlett Johansson in 2023

When Colin Jost was at Harvard, he shared a dorm with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. In 2015, Jost gave money to Buttigieg's campaign when he was running for mayor. Later, during Buttigieg's presidential campaign, Jost played him on SNL.

Jost is married to famous actress Scarlett Johansson. They met when she hosted SNL many times. They started dating in May 2017 and got engaged in May 2019. They married in October 2020 at their home in New York. Their son was born in August 2021.

In 2023, Jost and fellow SNL comedian Pete Davidson bought an old Staten Island Ferry boat.

Jost enjoys surfing. He was sent to Tahiti by NBC Sports to cover the surfing competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics. However, he had to leave before the competition ended due to some health problems.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and honors

See also

In Spanish: Colin Jost para niños