Colin Jost’s reaction to Scarlett Johansson being dethroned is winning over fans

When your spouse wins at life

Imagine your partner being one of the most famous movie stars on the planet, and you are the one reading headlines about them on live TV. That is Colin Jost’s everyday reality as he hosts Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live and sometimes delivers news about his own wife, Scarlett Johansson.

Instead of acting awkward or jealous, he leans into the joke and pokes fun at himself with real warmth. His latest reaction to Scarlett losing her “highest-grossing actor” crown to Zoe Saldana has fans calling him a walking green flag, replaying the moment nonstop online and smiling.

Meet Colin and Scarlett

Colin Jost is best known as the co-anchor of Weekend Update, the fake news desk on Saturday Night Live, where he delivers jokes about the week’s biggest stories.

Scarlett Johansson is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, famous for playing Black Widow in Marvel movies and leading giant blockbusters around the world.

They met through SNL, where Scarlett often appeared as a guest host before sparks really started to fly off-camera. After dating for a few years, they married in 2020, kept most of their life private, and now share a son named Cosmo and a busy home together.

How Scarlett reached the top

Scarlett once held the title of highest-grossing actor in Hollywood thanks to a long list of massive films. She appeared in many Marvel Cinematic Universe movies as Natasha Romanoff, along with hits like Lucy, The Jungle Book, Sing, and big new adventures that packed theaters across the globe.

All of those roles added up to more than fifteen billion dollars at the worldwide box office, putting her ahead of every other star on the list. Her mix of action, drama, and voice work made her one of the rare actors who can lead almost any kind of movie today.

Zoe Saldana changes the list

Zoe Saldana has now stepped into the number one spot on the box office charts. Thanks to starring in huge franchises like Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek, and Pirates of the Caribbean, her movies together have earned even more than Scarlett’s around the world.

The newest Avatar film pushed her total over the top after it crossed the billion-dollar mark at theaters.

When box office trackers added that fresh hit to her long list of past roles, Zoe officially became Hollywood’s highest-grossing actor, and Scarlett slipped just behind her into a very strong second-place spot.

The Weekend Update punchline

On January 17th, Colin sat at the Weekend Update desk and had to read the news that Zoe had passed his wife on the all-time box office list. A bar graph comparing their totals appeared beside him on screen, turning a simple entertainment story into a perfect setup for a joke.

After explaining that Zoe now held the crown, he casually said they should see what happens if they include the box office from Scarlett’s husband’s movies.

As the studio watched, Scarlett’s bar dropped instead of rising, and Colin suddenly realized he had just roasted himself on television that night.

Colin’s reaction steals the show

The best part of the bit was Colin’s reaction when the numbers suddenly dropped. He clearly did not expect the joke to turn on him, and his face shifted from calm news anchor to shocked husband as the audience broke into loud laughter around him.

That real, unscripted moment made the punchline feel extra warm and human, like the kind of teasing that happens at a family dinner, only broadcast to millions of people watching at home during Saturday Night Live television.

Why fans call him a green flag

When clips from the segment hit social media, people quickly started praising Colin’s attitude. Many comments said they loved that he could laugh at himself for being less successful than his wife instead of feeling embarrassed or angry about the comparison.

One Reddit user wrote that it is “so gross” when men cannot handle their partner’s success, and called Colin a major green flag for taking the joke so well.

Others pointed out that his reaction sets a good example, showing that a partner can cheer loudly for someone else’s shine and still feel confident in their own daily life.

He joked when she had the crown

Colin has been poking fun at the gap between their careers long before Scarlett lost the top spot. Back when she was first named the highest-grossing actor, he joked that together they were probably one of the top couples at the box office ever.

He admitted she was doing most of the lifting, but still treated their combined total like a funny team stat.

By turning a serious industry title into a light running gag, he showed that he is comfortable standing next to a superstar and happy to support her wins again and again on big nights together.

Colin’s movie career by comparison

Part of what makes the joke land is that Colin actually has a solid career, just not on Scarlett’s massive scale. He has appeared in movies like How to Be Single, Coming 2 America, and Tom and Jerry, plus a few smaller projects and cameos.

Next to Scarlett’s totals, though, his numbers look tiny, and he clearly knows it, so he lets himself be the punchline and keeps the focus on her there in the spotlight.

A different kind of leading man

Fans say Colin shows a different kind of leading man energy, one that is less about ego and more about support. Instead of trying to match his wife’s career, he seems happy to stand beside her, crack jokes, and brag about her wins in front of everyone watching.

Online, people compared him to other famous partners like Tom Holland and Travis Kelce, who are known for hyping up Zendaya and Taylor Swift during big moments.

Seeing men cheer as that hits home for many viewers, especially younger fans looking for hopeful, modern examples of love in the spotlight today online.

What their story says about success

Colin and Scarlett’s playful moment on TV touches something many couples feel, even far from Hollywood red carpets. It is easy to compare paychecks, titles, likes, or follower counts with the people you love and quietly keep score inside your head, especially on tough days.

Instead of treating one partner’s big break like a threat, you can decide that every win helps the whole team, from marriages and friendships to big families, and choose to laugh about those differences while still standing on the same side together, strong.

Cheering for the people you love

Watching Colin grin through a joke about his smaller career can feel strangely comforting. It is a reminder that you do not have to be the biggest name in the room to be proud of what you do and proud of the person standing beside you every day.

Most of us will never top a Billion-Dollar box office chart, but we all know someone who shines in their own lane. When you treat their success as a reason to celebrate instead of compete, you create more laughter, less stress, and a relationship that feels like a win for everyone.

Love how Colin cheers on Scarlet instead of competing with her? Discover the reason Colin Jost loves Scarlett Johnansson.

What fans can take away

Colin’s joke is a good reminder that success inside a relationship is not a race. You can still be proud of your own path and cheer just as hard when the person you love reaches a different level.

It also shows how humor can take the sting out of big topics like money, fame, and status. When couples can laugh about those differences together, it turns pressure into connection and keeps the focus on being on the same team, not keeping score.

Curious how Colin handled Scarlett kissing her co-star? Check out how she kissed a co-star, and Colin Jost weighed in.

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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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