Jamie Oliver
English Chef
Colin Jost’s net worth is estimated at $10 million, built primarily through two decades as a writer and performer on NBC’s Saturday Night Live and his expanding portfolio of film, television hosting, stand-up comedy, and authorship. Born in Staten Island, New York in 1982, Jost joined SNL in 2005 as a staff writer and became the longest-serving anchor in the history of the show’s “Weekend Update” segment, surpassing Seth Meyers’ record in October 2021. He is married to actress Scarlett Johansson, whose net worth of approximately $165 million substantially exceeds his own — a fact that SNL has good-naturedly lampooned on air.
Updated March 2026: According to Encyclopaedia Britannica and industry reporting from The Wall Street Journal, Jost remains one of the highest-paid cast members in SNL history, earning up to $25,000 per episode, while his hosting of Amazon Prime Video’s Pop Culture Jeopardy! (2024–present) and the move to Netflix for Season 2 signal continued expansion of his media footprint.
Colin Kelly Jost was born on June 29, 1982, in Staten Island, New York City, the eldest of two sons. His father, Daniel A. Jost, taught at Staten Island Technical High School, and his mother, Kerry J. Kelly, served as Chief Medical Officer for the New York City Fire Department — a position that put her at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, a formative event in Jost’s life that he has referenced in his comedy. He attended Regis High School in Manhattan, a prestigious Jesuit institution, where he edited the school newspaper The Owl and graduated in 2000.
Jost then enrolled at Harvard University, where he studied history and literature with a focus on Russian and British literature, writing his senior thesis on Vladimir Nabokov. He served as president of The Harvard Lampoon, the university’s celebrated humor magazine, and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 2004. After graduation, he worked briefly as a reporter and copy editor for the Staten Island Advance and wrote for the Nickelodeon animated series Kappa Mikey before sending a writing packet to SNL that earned him a staff position in 2005.
Jost joined Saturday Night Live as a staff writer at age 22, and his ascent within the show was rapid. He became writing supervisor from 2009 to 2012, then co-head writer from 2012 to 2015 — a role he resumed from 2017 to 2022 alongside Michael Che. In March 2014, executive producer Lorne Michaels invited Jost to anchor “Weekend Update” after Seth Meyers departed for Late Night. Jost was initially paired with Cecily Strong before Che became his permanent co-anchor in September 2014.
On October 23, 2021, Jost anchored his 155th “Weekend Update” segment, surpassing Seth Meyers’ record to become the longest-serving anchor in the history of the segment. By March 2024, he marked his 10th anniversary as Weekend Update anchor. Over his SNL tenure, Jost has received 19 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice — including for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special for the SNL 50th Anniversary Special in 2025, and Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for the same broadcast. He has also won five Writers Guild of America Awards (2007, 2009, 2010, 2017, 2018) and two Peabody Awards as part of the SNL team.
Beyond SNL, Jost’s career has expanded substantially. His 2020 memoir A Very Punchable Face became a New York Times bestseller. He co-hosted the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards with Michael Che in 2018. He hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April 2024, delivering a 20-minute monologue. He wrote and starred in the 2015 Paramount/Netflix comedy film Staten Island Summer and has appeared in Tom & Jerry (2021), Coming 2 America (2021), and Fly Me to the Moon (2024) with his wife Scarlett Johansson. In July 2024, Amazon Prime Video announced Jost as host of Pop Culture Jeopardy!, a pop-culture-focused spin-off of the long-running trivia franchise; Season 2 is moving to Netflix. He received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the College of Staten Island, CUNY, in 2025.
Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson married in October 2020 in an intimate ceremony conducted under COVID-19 safety protocols. The couple first met in 2006 when Johansson hosted SNL and Jost was a staff writer, but did not begin dating until 2017 after Johansson’s second marriage ended. They got engaged in 2019. In August 2021, they welcomed their son Cosmo Jost. Johansson also has a daughter, Rose Dorothy (born August 30, 2014), from her previous marriage to French journalist Romain Dauriac; Jost serves as Rose’s stepfather.
Jost grew up in Staten Island and has maintained ties to the borough throughout his career. In 2023, he and fellow SNL comedian Pete Davidson purchased the decommissioned Staten Island Ferry boat MV John F. Kennedy, which was subsequently used in the film Screamboat. Jost is an avid surfer and was sent to Tahiti by NBC Sports to cover the surfing competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He and Johansson are known for keeping their family life relatively private, maintaining residences in New York City. The couple’s March 2025 purchase of the $13 million Park Avenue penthouse at 1220 Park Avenue — a 14-room triplex on the 16th through 18th floors — was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Colin Jost’s net worth is estimated at $10 million as of 2026. His wealth is built primarily through 20 years as a writer and Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live, where he earns approximately $525,000 per season as one of the show’s highest-paid cast members. Additional income sources include his role as host of Pop Culture Jeopardy!, stand-up comedy touring, his New York Times bestselling memoir, and film and television appearances.
Scarlett Johansson is Colin Jost’s wife. The couple married in October 2020 in a private ceremony. They first met in 2006 when Johansson hosted SNL, began dating in 2017, and got engaged in 2019. Together they have a son, Cosmo Jost, born in August 2021. Johansson’s net worth of approximately $165 million substantially exceeds Jost’s $10 million — a contrast that SNL has openly referenced in sketches.
Colin Jost was born on June 29, 1982, in Staten Island, New York City, making him 43 years old as of March 2026. He is the eldest son of a high school teacher and Kerry J. Kelly, Chief Medical Officer for the New York City Fire Department. He graduated from Harvard University cum laude in 2004 and joined SNL the following year at age 22.
Colin Jost stands 5 feet 10.5 inches tall (approximately 1.79 meters), per IMDb. He has used his average height and self-described “very punchable face” as recurring fodder for self-deprecating comedy, including the title of his 2020 memoir.
Colin Jost earns approximately $25,000 per episode of Saturday Night Live, the maximum reported salary for SNL cast members, as reported by Good Housekeeping. Across a standard 21-episode season, this totals approximately $525,000 per year. He has also received compensation as a co-head writer (2012–2015, 2017–2022), which adds a separate writing fee. Some industry estimates put his total annual SNL compensation at $2–3 million when accounting for all roles.
Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson purchased a $13 million penthouse at 1220 Park Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in March 2025, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The 6,000-square-foot triplex occupies the 16th through 18th floors of a Rosario Candela-designed 1930 co-op building and features six bedrooms, five terraces, eight balconies, and views of Central Park. Jost previously owned a home in Montauk, New York, which he purchased in 2015 for $2.149 million.
Colin Jost has one biological child: son Cosmo Jost, born in August 2021 with wife Scarlett Johansson. He is also stepfather to Johansson’s daughter, Rose Dorothy (born August 30, 2014), whom she shares with her former husband, French journalist Romain Dauriac. Jost announced Cosmo’s birth on Instagram with characteristic humor, writing “Ok ok we had a baby. His name is Cosmo” and directing media inquiries to co-anchor Michael Che.