Colin Jost Bio
Colin Kelly Jost, born June 29, 1982, is an American comedian, writer, and actor. He is a longtime staff writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live and has served as co-anchor of Weekend Update since 2014. Jost is also a two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner with nineteen total Emmy nominations across his career.
In addition to his television work, Jost has built a reputation as a stand-up comedian, author, and film actor. He is married to actress Scarlett Johansson, with whom he has one son, and in 2024 he was announced as the host of Pop Culture Jeopardy! on Amazon Prime Video. In 2025, the College of Staten Island, CUNY, recognized his contributions to comedy, television, and community service with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
Early Life and Background
Colin Kelly Jost was born on June 29, 1982, in New York City. He was raised in a Catholic household in the Grymes Hill neighborhood of Staten Island. His mother, Kerry J. Kelly, served as the chief medical officer for the New York City Fire Department, while his father, Daniel A. Jost, worked as a teacher at Staten Island Technical High School. Jost also has one younger brother, Casey Jost, a writer and producer known for his work on Impractical Jokers.
Jost attended Regis High School in Manhattan, where he edited the school newspaper, The Owl, and graduated in 2000. He then enrolled at Harvard University, where he studied history and literature while living in Leverett House. His coursework focused on Russian literature and British literature, and he wrote his senior thesis on the novelist Vladimir Nabokov. Jost graduated from Harvard in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude.
Path to Comedy
Jost’s first major step into the entertainment world came during his time at Harvard, where he served as president of The Harvard Lampoon. He also appeared on a college edition of the game show Weakest Link and won $5,250. After graduation, he worked as a reporter and copy editor for the Staten Island Advance before being hired as a writer for the short-lived Nickelodeon animated series Kappa Mikey.
He later submitted a writing packet to NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which earned him a staff writing position in 2005. In 2009, Jost was promoted to writing supervisor, and by 2012, he had risen to co-head writer of Saturday Night Live. That same year, executive producer Lorne Michaels asked Jost if he could take over the Weekend Update desk after co-anchor Seth Meyers announced his departure, setting the stage for one of the most recognizable runs in the segment’s history.
Colin Jost Career
Early Career (2005-2013)
Colin Jost joined Saturday Night Live as a staff writer in 2005 and steadily climbed the show’s writing ranks. By 2009, he had been named writing supervisor, and from 2012 to 2015, he served as one of the show’s co-head writers, frequently collaborating with fellow writer Rob Klein. He was also selected as a New Face at the Montréal Just for Laughs comedy festival in 2009, an early sign of his growing reputation as a stand-up performer.
During this period, Jost published four Shouts and Murmurs pieces in The New Yorker and contributed to The New York Times Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Staten Island Advance, and Radar. He continued to perform stand-up on shows including Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, TBS, and HBO, while also returning to the Just for Laughs festivals in Chicago in 2011 and 2012 and in Montréal in 2010 and 2012.
Breakthrough (2014-Present)
On March 1, 2014, Colin Jost made his debut as co-anchor of Weekend Update alongside Michael Che, replacing the departing Seth Meyers. The pairing quickly became a defining feature of the modern Saturday Night Live era, and on October 23, 2021, Jost broke Meyers’ record as the longest-serving anchor in the segment’s history. Jost has cited Norm Macdonald and Tina Fey as primary influences on his work at the Update desk.
Beyond Weekend Update, Jost has built a varied film and television resume. He wrote the screenplay for and played a minor role in the 2015 comedy film Staten Island Summer and appeared in the 2016 romantic comedy How to Be Single. He co-hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards with Michael Che in September 2018 and participated in a memorable WWE storyline in 2019 that ended with both comedians being eliminated from the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35. In 2020, Jost released his memoir, A Very Punchable Face, which appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Jost has also taken on major hosting duties outside of Saturday Night Live. On April 27, 2024, he hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, delivering a monologue that touched on American politics, his marriage to Scarlett Johansson, and the role of a free press. On July 31, 2024, it was announced that he would host Pop Culture Jeopardy! on Amazon Prime Video, a role that cemented his presence as a versatile television personality.
Notable Works and Milestones
Colin Jost’s signature work remains Weekend Update, where his tenure since 2014 has made him one of the most recognizable faces in late-night comedy. His memoir A Very Punchable Face became a New York Times Bestseller, and he has earned two Primetime Emmy Awards along with nineteen total nominations for his work on Saturday Night Live and Pop Culture Jeopardy!. In 2025, the College of Staten Island, CUNY, awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for his contributions to comedy, television, and community service.
Colin Jost Award Nominations
Colin Jost has received nineteen Primetime Emmy Award nominations across his career, reflecting his long-standing contributions to Saturday Night Live and his later work as host of Pop Culture Jeopardy!. The majority of his nominations are tied to his writing and on-air work on NBC’s long-running sketch series, where he has served as a staff writer, co-head writer, and Weekend Update co-anchor.
Colin Jost Awards Won
Colin Jost is a two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner, with both wins tied to his work on Saturday Night Live. His Emmy victories highlight his dual role as both a behind-the-scenes writer and a prominent on-air personality, an uncommon distinction in the television industry. He has also earned honors beyond the Emmys, including an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the College of Staten Island, CUNY, in 2025.
Colin Jost Family
Colin Jost was born into a Staten Island family with strong ties to public service and education. His mother, Kerry J. Kelly, served as the chief medical officer for the New York City Fire Department, while his father, Daniel A. Jost, taught at Staten Island Technical High School. Jost also has one younger brother, Casey Jost, who has worked as a writer and producer on Impractical Jokers.
Personal Life
Colin Jost married actress Scarlett Johansson in October 2020 at their New York home, after the two began dating in May 2017 and got engaged in May 2019. The couple welcomed a son in August 2021. Jost was previously a dormmate of Pete Buttigieg at Harvard’s Leverett House and has portrayed Buttigieg on Saturday Night Live. Outside of his professional life, Jost is an avid surfer and was sent by NBC Sports to cover the surfing competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Tahiti.