Colin Kelly Jost Bio
Colin Kelly Jost (born June 29, 1982) is an American comedian, writer, and actor known for his long-running work on Saturday Night Live. A Harvard graduate and former president of The Harvard Lampoon, he has built a career as a television writer, performer, stand-up comic and author, and he has been recognized with Primetime Emmy Awards for his work in television.
Early Life and Background
Colin Kelly Jost was born in New York City and raised in the Grymes Hill neighborhood of Staten Island in a Catholic household. His mother, Kerry J. Kelly, served as chief medical officer for the New York City Fire Department, and his father, Daniel A. Jost, worked as a teacher at Staten Island Technical High School. He has a younger brother, Casey Jost, who works as a writer and producer.
Jost attended Regis High School in Manhattan, where he served as editor of the school newspaper before matriculating at Harvard University. At Harvard he studied history and literature, focused on Russian and British literature, wrote his senior thesis on Vladimir Nabokov, graduated cum laude in 2004, and served as president of The Harvard Lampoon.
Path to Celebrity
After college, Colin Jost began his early professional life in journalism as a reporter and copy editor for the Staten Island Advance. He moved from print into television writing, taking a job on the short-lived Nickelodeon animated series Kappa Mikey and then submitting a writing packet to NBC that led to a role at Saturday Night Live in 2005.
That entry into SNL began a gradual public profile that combined behind-the-scenes writing responsibilities with occasional on-air appearances. Through steady work on the sketch series and appearances in stand-up and festival lineups, Jost transitioned from a staff writer to a visible performer and cultural presence.
Colin Kelly Jost Career
Early Career (2005–2013)
Colin Jost joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2005 and worked his way up through the show’s writing staff during his first years there. By 2009 he was serving as the show’s writing supervisor, a position that reflected his growing influence on SNL’s editorial direction and comedic voice.
During this period Jost also performed stand-up, appeared at comedy festivals including Just for Laughs, and published humor pieces in outlets such as The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine. These appearances and publications helped broaden his profile beyond the SNL writers’ room.
Breakthrough (2014–present)
Colin Jost’s most prominent career turning point came in 2014 when he became co-anchor of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, replacing Seth Meyers. He first appeared on the Weekend Update desk on March 1, 2014, and over subsequent seasons developed a steady, conversational delivery influenced by figures such as Norm Macdonald and Tina Fey. By anchoring Update he became one of the program’s most recognizable performers.
Alongside his Weekend Update duties, Jost served multiple terms as one of SNL’s co-head writers, holding that title from 2012 to 2015 and again from 2017 to 2022. In that combined creative and performance role he contributed to major sketches, political satire pieces, and recurring segments that shaped the show’s tone across multiple seasons.
Jost expanded into film and other on-camera projects while maintaining his SNL responsibilities. He wrote the screenplay for and appeared in the 2015 comedy Staten Island Summer and had a supporting role in the 2016 romantic comedy How to Be Single. He made additional cameo appearances, including a 2024 cameo in Fly Me to the Moon.
In the late 2010s and early 2020s Jost broadened his public work with high-profile hosting duties and authorship. He co-hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards with Michael Che in 2018, released the memoir A Very Punchable Face in 2020 which appeared on bestseller lists, and served as a special correspondent for WrestleMania events in 2019. On April 27, 2024, he hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, delivering a widely reported monologue that addressed politics and the press.
Jost moved into game show hosting in 2024 when Amazon Prime Video announced he would host Pop Culture Jeopardy!. In 2025 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the College of Staten Island, CUNY, in recognition of his contributions to comedy, television, and community service.
Notable Works and Milestones
Colin Jost’s signature work is his long tenure on Saturday Night Live, including his role as Weekend Update co-anchor and multiple stints as co-head writer. Other milestones include his Bestselling memoir, Emmys for his television work, high-profile hosting assignments, and the transition into hosting a branded game show on a major streaming service.
Colin Kelly Jost Award Nominations
Colin Jost has been recognized repeatedly by industry awards for his work on television. He has received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his contributions to Saturday Night Live and related hosting projects, reflecting sustained recognition from peers and industry organizations.
Colin Kelly Jost Awards Won
Colin Jost is a Primetime Emmy Award winner and has received multiple Emmy Awards for his television work. His awards underscore a career that spans writing, performing, and hosting at high-profile broadcast and streaming events.
Colin Kelly Jost Family
Colin Jost is the son of Kerry J. Kelly and Daniel A. Jost and grew up on Staten Island. He has one younger brother, Casey Jost, who works in television as a writer and producer and who appeared in Staten Island Summer.
Personal Life
Colin Jost is married to actress Scarlett Johansson; the couple began dating publicly in 2017, became engaged in May 2019, and married in October 2020. Scarlett Johansson gave birth to their son in August 2021. Jost has occasionally referenced his married life in public appearances and in his comedy.
Outside of television, Jost has performed stand-up, participated in comedy festivals, and contributed humor pieces to national publications. He maintains ties to his Staten Island roots and has engaged in public events and philanthropic recognition connected to the borough.