Washington DC [US], January 19 : Actor and writer Colin Jost offered a humorous take on his wife Scarlett Johansson being overtaken by actor Zoe Saldana as Hollywood's highest-grossing star of all time, according to E! News.
Addressing the milestone in the recent episode of SNL, Jost reacted with trademark wit as a graphic comparing the box-office earnings of Saldana and Johansson.
"Zoe Saldana--who stars in the new Avatar movie--has surpassed Scarlett Johansson to become the highest-grossing actress of all time," Jost said, before adding, "Okay, well let's see what happens if you include the box office from Scarlett's husband's movies," as quoted by E! News.
Scarlett's earnings, which began at USD 15.4 billion, dropped to USD 15.1 billion after Colin, 43, delivered the punchline. And the comedian couldn't help but react with the crowd's laughter. As he added through giggles, "It went down?"
The joke followed reports that Saldana surpassed Johansson's long-held record, becoming the highest-grossing actor globally, largely driven by the box-office success of James Cameron's Avatar franchise. Avatar: Fire and Ash reportedly earned USD 1.23 billion worldwide by January 12, bringing the cumulative gross of films starring Saldana to approximately USD 16.8 billion.
Saldana's filmography, which contributes to the total, includes major franchises such as Avatar, Star Trek, Avengers: Endgame, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Johansson, 41, previously held the top spot with an estimated USD 16.4 billion in worldwide box-office earnings. The rest of the top five highest-grossing actors list is dominated by Marvel stars, including Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Pratt, according to E! News.
Jost's on-air quip is not the first time he has joked publicly about his wife's Hollywood peers. In a July 2025 interview, he reacted lightheartedly to Johansson's viral kiss with her Jurassic World Rebirth co-star Jonathan Bailey, downplaying any controversy around the moment.
"I guess in Jurassic Park terms, the attack always comes from the raptor you never thought was there. Of all the threats out there, I wasn't thinking it was Jonathan," Colin joked in a July 2025 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
"I think it's going to be OK. People really blew it out of proportion," Jost had said, adding that a friendly kiss between co-stars was hardly an issue.
"Jonathan is an out gay man--it didn't seem like the biggest threat," Colin quipped. "Jonathan and I were at the red carpet like, 'I guess we have to kiss now? Will that close the loop?", according to E! News.