Colin Jost tells Scarlett Johansson jokes on Weekend Update as she watches backstage

For several years, the final “Saturday Night Live” episode of the year features a “Weekend Update” segment in which co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che write jokes for the other to read for the first time on air. For Jost, this has typically meant that Che forces him to tell a series of jokes about race and racism that are horribly tone-deaf and over-the-top—and, in the context, often quite funny.

This year, however, Che found a new way to torture Jost: Making him say outrageous things about his wife, Scarlett Johansson — while a camera captured Johansson’s live reactions in the hallway outside the studio. The actor appeared during the episode’s cold open to welcome host Martin Short to the Five Timers Club, and Che apparently couldn’t resist the chance to have some fun at the pair’s expense.

The bit started with Jost reading that this year he had to “read all the ‘Black Voice’ jokes so I don’t get in trouble,” which led to Jost reading a joke about Kamala Harris saying she still supports the idea of ​​reparations for slavery.

“Well, damn girl, me too,” said Jost, barely able to get the words out through his uproarious laughter. “Because white people deserve our money back for all the slaves that ran away.”

It was just an appetizer for what Jost had to say about his wife. Just the sight of her face in a shot over Jost’s shoulder was enough to make some people in the audience scream in anticipation of what was to come.

“I want to dedicate this next joke to my boo, Scarlett Johansson,” Jost said, and then a camera cut to a nervous Johansson clutching a drink while watching Jost from a screen above her.

“No one! No one!” Jost said when he realized what was happening. “Oh god, she’s so genuinely worried!”

Then he began to read, for the first time, the jokes Che had written for him.

“You all know that Scarlett just celebrated her 40th birthday, which means I’m coming up from there!” Jost said, exploding into laughter again before he could even finish the line. After he regained his composure—and Che reminded him that there was more to the joke—Jost continued. “Shiz! Nah, Nah. I’m just playing,” he said. “We just had a kid together and you can’t see any pictures of him yet because he’s black as hell!”—at which point a picture in Photoshop of Jost and Johansson with a black baby appeared over Jost’s shoulder.

Che certainly had his fair share of comic humiliation, forced to make jokes about “Moana 2” and Jeffrey Epstein, Jay-Z, and his promise to Diddy that “I’ll help get you away.” But then the spotlight returned to Jost, who ended the segment with a joke involving his wife that’s so R-rated that it really startled Johansson. Warning: This is not for the faint of heart!

“Costco has taken their roast beef sandwich off the menu, but I’m not tripping,” Jost said. “I’ve been eating roast beef every night since my wife had the baby!” After the audience, Jost and Che stopped laughing, Jost reading the last lines. “Nah, nah, I’m just playing baby. You know I don’t go down like that! Shiz! It’s gay as hell!”

Martin Short hosted the episode with Hozier as the musical guest. You can watch the entire segment below: