Scarlett Johansson’s record as the highest-grossing actor was recently smashed by Zoe Saldaña — but the Black Widow star’s husband is looking at the bright side of life.
Colin Jost was the butt of Saturday Night Live’s joke on Saturday, January 17, that addressed the all-female box office toppling. Reading off Weekend Update’s cue cards, Jost, 43, told the camera, “Zoe Saldaña, who stars in the new Avatar movie, has surpassed Scarlett Johansson to become the highest-grossing actress of all time.” To accompany his words, a visual graph was shown to represent both actors’ earnings.
“Let’s see what happens if you include the box office from Scarlett’s husband’s movies,” an amused Jost continued as the graph indicated a fall from $15.4 billion to $15.1 billion, which led to Jost laughing.
“It went down?” he hilariously asked.
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The public reference comes after Johansson, 41, was eclipsed by Saldaña, 47, following the release of her new film Avatar: Fire and Ash, which pushed Saldaña’s earnings up to $15.47 billion, per reporting by Variety. Johansson currently sits at $15.40 billion.
Saldaña addressed her achievement by sharing an Instagram video that thanked fans. “I just want to express my sincerest gratitude for the extraordinary journey that has led me to become the highest grossing film actor of all time today,” she said in the clip. “An achievement made entirely possible by the incredible franchises and the collaborators that I have been fortunate to be a part of.”
She continued, “To every director who placed their trust in me, thank you. J.J. Abrams, Joe and Anthony Russo, James Gunn and most importantly, thank you James Cameron for believing in my potential, for seeing something in me that I have not always seen in myself and for challenging me to always rise to the occasion. Your faith, your guidance and your vision, they shape not only these films but me as an artist. To the fans around the world, thank you, thank you. Your unwavering support, passion and loyalty are the true foundation of this milestone. None of this exists without you showing up time and time again with open hearts and enthusiasm. This accomplishment belongs to all of us.”
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Jost, who married Johansson in October 2020 and shares a son, Cosmo, 4, with her, has cheekily addressed his wife’s similarly remarkable achievements via SNL jokes in the past. (Johansson is also mother to daughter Rose, 11, whom she shares with ex-husband Romain Dauriac.)
During a December 2025 episode of the late night comedy show, Jost’s Weekend Update coanchor, Michael Che, wrote Jost a joke that forced him to address his wife’s financial success. “New research shows that millions of women leave the workplace due to menopause, which means there’s only a couple years left on my gravy train,” Jost said as he stifled his amusement and a photo of Johansson flashed up on screen. “My girl already be like, ‘Colin, I’m warm. Colin, I’m sweating.’ Bitch, you having a hot flash, but don’t worry about me. I’ve got a backup [because] they don’t call Wednesday ‘hump day’ for nothing.”
