Everything We Know About Scarlett Johansson And Colin Jost's Relationship
Actress Scarlett Johansson's low-key romance with Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost is the celeb pairing no one saw coming. With more than 60 on-screen credits to her name, Johansson kicked off her acting career when she was just a child. Following her critically-acclaimed performance in 1994's North, the budding movie star went on to appear in films such as Lost in Translation, Her, and, of course, she's spent a decade reprising her most famous role to date: the Marvel Cinematic Universe's very own Russian spy Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. This gorgeous A-lister's other half is best known for his work as co-head writer and "Weekend Update" co-anchor on the long-running sketch comedy series. Jost also hosted the 2018 Emmy Awards alongside "Weekend Update" co-star Michael Che.
With such drastically different career trajectories, we probably weren't the only ones scratching our heads when this unlikely couple allegedly hooked up for the first time in May 2017 ... but more on that below. Stick around to find out everything we know about Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost's relationship.
The slowest of slow burn romances
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost first met on the set of Saturday Night Live in January 2006, according to Bustle. At the time, both were taking on major endeavors in their careers. "The first time she hosted was the first year I was a writer on the show," Jost told Entertainment Tonight in 2017. "So, we've kind of known each other since then ... she's the best."
Despite their initial on-set meet-cute, these two wouldn't actually get together for another 11 years, but it sounds like it was well worth the wait. Noting that he's "very lucky," Jost went on to tell ET, "She's pretty cool ... It's hard to have a lot of complaints, she's pretty awesome." For her part, Johansson later jokingly told TV host Ellen DeGeneres that "it's hard to pick" her favorite "Weekend Update" star between her own beau and comedian Michael Che. "No, it's not that hard to pick," she went on to quip. "I guess I'm a Colin fan, I'd have to say." (Cue the chorus of "awws.")
It's all in the timing ... and co-star matchmaking
In the 11 years it took for Johansson and Jost to finally get together, both were involved in their own high-profile relationships. For her part, the Marvel actress got hitched twice. After divorcing fellow actor Ryan Reynolds in 2010, she married French journalist Romain Dauriac. The former couple, who share daughter Rose Dorothy, ended their marriage in 2017. Meanwhile, the SNL star previously dated Rashida Jones for three years. However, he and the Parks and Recreation alum called it quits in 2016, according to the Daily Mail. By the following spring, rumors that Johansson and Jost were an item began circulating.
So, what changed that brought these two together as more than friends? Well, apart from the fact that both Johansson and Jost appeared to be single at the same time for what may have been the first time in more than a decade, mutual pal and SNL's own Kate McKinnon reportedly played matchmaker. According to a source cited by Life & Style, "Kate was the one who played Cupid and pushed Scarlett and Colin to go on their first date. [They] were both ready for this and make an incredible couple." In May 2017, an insider told Page Six that Johansson and Jost were "making out at the bar at the SNL season finale party." Love was apparently in the air that night at 30 Rock.
But were they on the same page?
Johansson was perhaps unfairly labeled as "Hollywood's Biggest Player" by Page Six in late 2017. At the time, an anonymous actor hinted that the movie star's blossoming romance with Jost may have already been heading toward trouble, saying, "Scarlett likes to be in control. Then, when she gets it, she gets bored." While it's true that Johansson reportedly had an on-and-off fling with lawyer Kevin Yorn that summer, per People, she and the Saturday Night Live star continued to be romantically linked during the second half of the year. By September 2017, a Crazy Days & Nights blind item suggested that Jost was much more invested in a serious relationship than Johansson, claiming, "This late night actor looks kind of foolish when he is talking about love and how much he cares for the actress he thinks is his girlfriend." Ouch!
It's difficult to know the truth, or when this private couple moved from casual to official. No matter the case, Johansson and Jost eventually ended up on the same page. After making their first official public appearance together at an American Museum of Natural History gala in November 2017, they shared their red carpet debut at the Avengers: Infinity War premiere the following April.
Johansson's third shot at love was unexpected
After two failed marriages, Scarlett Johansson wasn't necessarily expecting to find love again. Amid her divorce from Romain Dauriac, she revealed that dating wasn't even a priority during her March 2017 appearance on The Howard Stern Show. "I'm on guard because I have a young daughter," the actress confessed to the shock jock (via Us Weekly). "That's something I'm more concerned about."
Around that time, Johansson was also understandably having some serious doubts about monogamy in and of itself. "I think the idea of marriage is very romantic; it's a beautiful idea, and the practice of it can be a very beautiful thing," she told Playboy (via E! News), but she added, "I don't think it's natural to be a monogamous person. I might be skewered for that, but I think it's work. It's a lot of work." Perhaps her ongoing romance with Jost has been well worth that work, which might explain why these two have taken things slow while keeping their relationship largely out of the spotlight. According to a source cited by E! News, "Scarlett says he is different than many of the men she has been with."
Is SNL co-star Michael Che third-wheeling it?
During a joint appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2018, Michael Che joked that on- and off-screen bestie Colin Jost had changed because of his blossoming romance with the Avengers star. "Has that affected your friendship? Are you like the third wheel on dates and stuff?" the titular host asked. Che quipped, "Actually not anymore because I'm dating a celebrity too ... She's a Times Square Elmo."
Che went on to lightly tell Jost: "I feel like you've changed. You don't invite me places. And when you do, you ditch me." When Jost pointed out that Che has "never invited" him out either, his longtime co-anchor jokingly said, "Well, yeah, because if you're with like Scarlett Johansson, I don't want to tell you to come to this dive bar with me and watch a Yankees game. I feel like, you know, maybe you have better things to do." Still, Che's clearly happy for his friend and has made the best of the situation — namely by pulling pranks on the unsuspecting couple. According to Us Weekly, he hired a party clown to crash Jost's romantic birthday dinner with Johansson in June 2018. You know, as one does.
Throwback photos aren't for everyone...
Seeing what your significant other looked like before you got together can be a trip. Johansson got to experience this shock first-hand — and on national television, no less — when talk show host Ellen DeGeneres surprised her guest in April 2018 with an unrecognizable throwback pic of a bearded Jost from his early SNL days. "I can't unsee it now. Oh no!" the noticeably surprised actress said with a laugh. When DeGeneres asked, "Have I just broken y'all up?" Johansson jokingly replied, "I can't say that that's an image that I'll ever forget." When a more current snapshot of her boyfriend appeared on the screen, the Marvel star quipped, "That's how I like to remember him. That's how I'll always remember him by now that we're broken up."
Of course, there's no doubt the physical attraction is there, considering this cute pair is known to yo-yo between being exceedingly private about their relationship and packing on the PDA. In a blink-and-you-missed-it moment, Johansson and Jost adorably held hands while ice skating at Rockefeller Center at the end of an SNL taping in December 2017 — just a month after making their public debut as a couple. Fast forward a year and a half, People reports that the duo looked happy and totally in love as they "cozied up" together at the Avengers: Endgame premiere.
Is he the Hawkeye to her Black Widow?
Wait ... that Marvel analogy doesn't work and someone probably should've told Michael Che. During another joint appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in August 2018, Colin Jost revealed that his longtime colleague had given him a "very full, realistic Hawkeye costume" the previous Christmas. "Because your girlfriend's Black Widow," Che replied. Indeed, Scarlett Johansson played her popular superhero alter ego opposite on-screen bestie Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner) in the Avengers films, which led an amused Jost to ask, "Wait, do you think that they're a couple in the movie?" With a laugh, Che admitted that he never actually saw the comic book flick.
Months later, Jost kept the Marvel gift-giving theme going, but this time around it was much more on-theme. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the TV star had a set of jewelry, inspired by the villainous Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet, created for Johansson to wear at the Avengers: Endgame premiere in April 2019. Is this couples goals or nerd goals or both? We'll let you decide.
They may be ready to take things to the next level
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost may keep their relationship fairly quiet, but it sounds like things are serious between these two lovebirds ... we're talking wedding-bells-chiming-in-the-future serious. According to a source cited by Us Weekly in February 2019, "Colin is still head over heels for Scarlett. He thinks she is incredible, kind, beautiful. He is beyond doting to her and loves showing her off when they're out." The insider added, "Scarlett loves Colin too, and they are in it for the long haul. They have talked about marriage and are fully committed to each other."
While a second source claimed the duo was officially living together, it should be noted that, at the time of this writing, no engagement has been announced. That said, the MCU star is allegedly ready to tie the knot for a third time. "She is a mother and in a mature place," another insider told People, "where marriage makes more sense than it did in earlier relationships that didn't last."
Who doesn't love a celebrity wedding? We're all in.