Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson’s relationship is one of my favorites, and it's not just because she has an incredible sense of humor when it comes to his brutal Weekend Update bits. Along with that, they hilariously speak about each other often, and most recently, the SNL star had a great reaction when someone asked how to pronounce his wife's last name.
For a long time now, there's been a question about how to say Scarlett Johansson's last name, seeing as there are two common ways. Thankfully, Colin Jost was on hand to provide some insider information about how to say Johansson while hosting Pop Culture Jeopardy! on the 2026 TV schedule. In an Instagram video posted by the show, an audience member asked if his partner's last name was pronounced as “Jo-hansson” or “Yo-hansson,” and Jost had the perfect response:
I don’t know. I’ve never met her in person yet, so I want to hear how she says it. ‘Jo-hansson.’ I certainly say ‘Jo-hansson.’ I mean, I don’t say it, really ever, but, ‘Yo, Johansson! Why is the fridge empty?’
Now, I am just imagining Jost calling his wife by her last name when he needs something, and it’s definitely an entertaining thought. However, I also can't help but wonder if he's ever pondered the various ways to say it. Meanwhile, I'm over here wondering if this is another Rihanna situation, and I've been saying Johansson's name wrong for a long time.
Anyway, getting back to Jost’s lesson, he went on to explain that the Oscar-nominated actress is Danish, and the name is likely a mix between Danish and Swedish. So, her last name probably was said like “Yo-hansson” or some variation at some point, to which Jost joked that his own last name was probably “Yo-st” at some point, and it was all written in the stars:
We all changed together. All ancestors coordinated and said, ‘Let’s get them together.’
This is far from the first question that Jost has been asked about Johansson since he began hosting Pop Culture Jeopardy!, which is streaming with a Netflix subscription.
In fact, he gave a hilariously snarky response to someone who asked if his wife knows he’s there, as the game show films in California while his family is based in New York. He also jokingly shared that she’s back home with the kids, as “some of us have to put food on the table.” So, overall, he keeps it fun when fans bring up his significant other.
Much like how he's unbothered by being the less famous person in the relationship, Jost doesn't seem to mind these questions. However, if Pop Culture Jeopardy! gets renewed for a third season, perhaps his wife can find the time to pop in and give the fans what they really want: the true pronunciation of her last name.
