What To Know
- Pete Davidson made a surprise return to SNL‘s “Weekend Update” to address negative press about the stalled Staten Island Ferry venture he co-owns with Colin Jost.
- Davidson joked about the financial losses from the ferry, his upcoming fatherhood, and names for the boat
- Despite the setbacks, Jost and Davidson humorously insisted the project is still afloat.
After Colin Jost and Pete Davidson found themselves in a New York Times article about their costly Staten Island Ferry purchase, Jost addressed the bad press on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” last night… and brought on Davidson in a surprise cameo.
The audience in Studio 8H cheered as Davidson notching his first SNL appearance in more than a year, and then the former cast member got down to the news of the day: that he and Jost haven’t been able to do much of anything with the decommissioned ferryboat they bought for nearly four years ago for $280,100.
“In case you’re wondering why I had to do a show in Saudi Arabia, we’re losing millions on this ferry,” Davidson said. “I assume that’s what the article says. I can’t spend $5 on a paywall when I got a kid on the way, so…”
In case you missed it, the SNL alum is expecting a baby with girlfriend Elsie Hewitt. “I’m just excited to be a dad, you know, and give it all the energy and enthusiasm I never had for this show,” he joked on Saturday.
NBC
But anyway, back to that ferry: “We even gave the boat a new name. You know, we thought the Staten Island Ferry sounded too depressing, so now it’s called the Titanic 2.”
Jost claimed their ferry venture is “actually going very well,” saying they recently got paid by Nike to put an ad for the New York City Marathon on the vessel.
“Yeah, exactly,” Davidson said. “If Lorne Michaels has taught us anything, it’s that you never, ever give up. Even if everyone says the time has come and Tina Fey is ready to take over.”
He went on: “I actually have a great idea to make this ferry more of a success. As you know, we just had a mayoral election, which is my least favorite kind of oral. … And if you don’t mind, I have a message for everyone who did not vote for our new mayor. Hey, Staten Islanders! Did you promise to move out of New York if [Zohran] Mamdani won but have too many warrants in New Jersey and not enough guns for Florida? Well, welcome to New Staten Island!”
Yes, New Staten Island is Davidson’s idea for the ferryboat’s new name. “We can’t call it the ‘Titanic’ anymore, since the people on this ship will actually love running into ICE,” he reasoned.
“Look, the ferry, it’s fine,” he concluded. “Sometimes the news just makes things seem worse than they are. You know, like how everyone was sure certain people would be exposed and ruined for being on the Epstein list, right? But look. It’s 2025. And all three of us are still up here.”
Saturday Night Live, Saturdays, 11:30/10:30c, NBC