Colin Jost jokes about Scarlett Johansson losing highest-grossing actor crown to Zoe Saldana

Colin Jost has found humour in his wife Scarlett Johansson’s recent slip from the top of the all-time box office rankings.

The comedian addressed new data during the January 17 episode of Saturday Night Live.

While delivering the news during Weekend Update, Jost jokingly suggested that the rankings should include his own filmography. As a bar graph appeared onscreen, he quipped that Johansson might reclaim the top spot if the box office earnings from her husband’s movies were added. 

"Okay, well, let’s see what happens if you include the box office from Scarlett’s husband’s movies," he quipped.

The punchline landed when Johansson’s total humorously dropped even further, which left Jost in disbelief. Laughing with the audience, Colin said, "It went down?"

Saldana, meanwhile, responded to the milestone with gratitude rather than competition. 

In a video shared on Instagram, she thanked the major franchises and collaborators that shaped her career, including Avatar, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Star Trek. She also credited directors such as James Cameron, J.J. Abrams, the Russo brothers, and James Gunn for believing in her and challenging her as an artist.

Saldana also gave her fans a shoutout, calling them the foundation of her success, and expressed hope that the next record-breaker would also be a woman.

The shift comes after Saldana’s latest appearance in Avatar: Fire and Ash, which pushed her cumulative worldwide box office total to an estimated $16.86 billion. Johansson now sits just behind her with roughly $16.43 billion.

Johansson and Saldana are joined in the top five highest-grossing actors list by frequent franchise collaborators Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Pratt.