Scarlett Johansson Says Reaction to ‘SNL’ Joke Swap Was ‘Genuine Shock’

On By Littum

The stunned look on Scarlett Johansson’s face during a “vulgar” joke swap segment on “Saturday Night Live” in December was no act.

The “Black Widow” star sported the deer-in-the-headlights look on the Dec. 21 episode when she was filmed reacting to her husband, “SNL” star Colin Jost, read dirty jokes about her. The lines were written by Jost’s “Weekend Update” co-anchor Michael Che.

By tradition, each host had no idea what jokes the other had written for them until they had to read them live on air. This time, however, Johansson saw live backstage in Studio 8H.

“Oh god, are we reliving the joke swap?” Johansson told Jenna Bush Hager on TODAY on Jan. 24 while serving as guest host of Jenna & Friends. “It’s wrong. It’s just wrong, guys. It got so vulgar.”

Scarlett Johansson shocked.
Scarlett Johansson reacts to the “vulgar” jokes read by husband Colin Jost in a joke-swap segment on “Saturday Night Live.”YouTube

During the episode, Jost could barely contain his laughter as he read the beginning of Che’s lines.

“My boo, Scarlett Johansson, is so genuinely concerned. Hey boo, you all know, Scarlett just celebrated her 40th birthday, which means I’m about to get out of there!” Jost read up on “SNL” before you look up.

Johansson was asked by “SNL” beforehand if she wanted to be part of the bit, and she said she agreed under certain conditions.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to be canceled or divorced,'” Johansson said today. “Those are my limits. And they said, ‘Okay fine, how about we just record you listening to the jokes?’ I said, ‘OK, it seems fine, tame’.”

It turned out not to be so tame when a joke involved Johansson’s genitalia.

“Honestly Jenna, I felt like it was ‘To Catch a Predator’ when the light just kind of came on me and suddenly there was a whole audience and luckily I was there with a very stiff cocktail,” Johansson said of her reaction .

“The jokes got — they were so vulgar,” she said. “It’s a real shock.”

Jost also confirmed earlier this week that his wife was not acting when she gave that reaction.

“Scarlett was really so shocked,” Jost told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” Jan. 20. “Obviously I was surprised by everything, but they gave her a heads-up.”

Even for an “SNL” regular like Johansson, who has hosted the show six times and made several other appearances, Che’s lines, as read by Jost, were an eye-opener.

“Emma Stone, who was also there because we were doing a five-hour thing for Martin Short, turned to me and she said, ‘That wasn’t right. That wasn’t right,'” Johansson said. “My heart was pounding. My eyes were watering. My hands were like (shaking). It was surreal.”

During the “SNL” segment, Che also had to read jokes written by Jost.

“(Jost) also writes for Michael Che, but I honestly feel like Michael is trying to get us permanently removed, I don’t know,” Johansson joked. “He has a vendetta against us. Michael, why?! What did I do to you, Michael?”

Jenna suggested a way for Johansson to get her revenge. She invited Johansson to return on Jenna & Friends with Che as a guest and they can do a teleprompter exchange.

“I’m all for it,” Johansson said.