Colin Jost has opened up about his experience of being part of Saturday Night Live in a recent radio interview! As People reports, Jost appeared on SiriusXM's The Howard Stern Show to promote his new book, A Very Punchable Face, and talked about how being in quarantine has made him reflect on his job.
Jost says he's "not sure" whether he'll decide to stay on SNL
Jost is a head writer for Saturday Night Live alongside Michael Che, who's also his co-anchor for the popular "Weekend Update" segment. When Stern asked him if the upcoming season of SNL would be his last, Jost said he'd been "talking to Che about it, in general," but didn't have a definite answer. "I'm not sure," he said. "I think the COVID stuff has really affected how I feel about it."
"Because being away from people that make you laugh at work in that way, for this long, really makes you appreciative of not only the job," Jost continued, "but of the routine of being at work and having to run into people who are funny, like, in the hallways, and how much of the joy of the job is just proximity."
Jost talks SNL environment: "You have to see your friends"
Jost went on to say that the familiarity of SNL extends to seeing his fellow castmates on a consistent basis. "You know, you have to be with people you love," he explained. "And without that routine, you could be in L.A. and you could go months without seeing friends."
"You're much more isolated, whereas at our job, you have nowhere to hide," he said. "You have to see your friends. It's great." However, Jost also revealed that he feels a sense of "anxiety" when it comes to being involved in SNL.
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Jost says SNL creator told him people are funniest on show
Jost shared that the anxiety he feels about SNL stems from feeling like he has to prove himself. "You have an anxiety to do other things and kind of prove your worth in another way," he said of being part of the show.
"A thing that [creator] Lorne [Michaels] says is people who you love, who used to be cast members on SNL, the funniest they ever were was on SNL," Jost continued. "Even if they did great, brilliant work after, that there was something about the first time you discovered them and saw them on SNL."
Jost reflects on comedy of SNL: "It's like this pure thing"
Jost used actor Will Ferrell as an example, explaining how "Like, the first times you see Will Ferrell — he's made such funny movies," he said, "but there's also just that thing about the first glimpse you got of Will Ferrell yelling at a dinner table, or something. It's like this pure thing."
"The best versions of that are probably people kind of f---ing around and finding something that's really funny to them, or makes their friends laugh and there's something loose and very pure about it," Jost shared, "because it's not structured in a movie or whatever. It's just like, trying to make people laugh for four minutes."
Jost has been involved with the SNL team since 2005
Jost became part of the Saturday Night Live team shortly after he graduated college, beginning as a writer in 2005. He then moved up to becoming a writing supervisor from 2009-2012, and finally co-head writer from 2012-2015.
As People mentions, Jost stepped down from being co-head writer so that he could concentrate on "Weekend Update". However, he then resumed the role again in 2017 alongside Che. Jost is also engaged to actress Scarlett Johansson, so perhaps he may want to take a break from SNL in the future as they move into another stage of their relationship!
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