“Saturday Night Live” co-stars Colin Jost and Pete Davidson made headlines — and endured much mockery — when they joined a group of investors who purchased a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry for $280,000 back in 2022.
At the time, the plan was to tranform the derelict vessel into some type of floating entertainment venue.
Now, four years later, those plans are finally firming up.
Secret Standup Shows
Earlier this month, a message went out online about a secret comedy show happening in NYC.
As The New York Times reported, those who were lucky enough to score tickets boarded the Snapple Island Ferry, sponsored by the juice brand. There, the crowed of more than 300 watched Davidson and Jost performe together for about seven minutes before introducing an array of established and up-and-coming comics, including Ronny Chieng and Jay Jurden.
“This is something we’ve wanted to do for like five years, so thank you guys for coming out,” Davidson said in his opening remarks, as reported by Variety.
“And thank you to our sponsor, Snapple. The glass is back, baby!” quipped Davidson
“I feel like we should acknowledge our former sponsor, too — my accountant’s suicide note,” Jost joked, referencing the ribbing he and Davidson had taken for buying the ferry.
They Bought a Boat
While the long-term future of the ferry as a comedy venue remains to be seen, the Snapple event offered a sneak peek of what’s likely to come.
“I think this is just fun and exciting. There’s, you know, a million things that you could do in New York any day, and I’m grateful that Snapple chose our ferry and saw a cool opportunity to do something fun and wacky to get people excited in New York because that’s a tough sell,” Davidson told People.
“We’ve been trying to tell people about how special this is for so long. And we’ve been lucky enough to have a couple of opportunities to do it, but this is like a real big opportunity, so we’re just happy everyone’s seeing what we saw in it when we bought it,” Davidson continued.
“Being on the water, like, friends that came today who had never been on this boat were like, ‘Holy [expletive], this is awesome!’ And we’re like, ‘We know!’ They’re like, ‘This is actually really big.’ I was like, ‘I know. It’s almost too big,’” added Jost.
What Does Scarlett Think About the Ferry?
One lingering question that People posed to Jost was what his wife, movie star Scarlett Johansson, thinks about his ferry-based business venture.
“She’s very supportive from a distance,” he told People. “I mean, I wouldn’t say she’s an active investor.”
He continued by sharing a touch of sarcasm by adding, “She would love to retire on this ferry, you know? If that’s what puts her over the edge, I’m hopeful.”
For the two comedians, they’ve come to realize their little ferry venture has bonded them in the eyes of the public.
“Colin’s also from Staten Island and it’s something that we will be asked about for the rest of our lives,” Davidson told the magazine. “It’s been fun. It’s also been fun proving people wrong,”
Added Jost: “It will be on or joint gravestone that I think we’re committed to. Like the people bullying me growing up, now I own the boat. Try pushing me into the bathroom here now!”
