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Colin Jost Knows What He Has: A Very Punchable Face
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In pre-pandemic times, Josts memoir, which Crown will publish on July 14, might have come across as a victory lap for an author contemplating new horizons. But now the book reads like his appreciation for a comedy institution that he hopes will come back in its traditional, chaotic form as soon as possible. As exhilarating and as frustrating as it was to make S. N. L. from home, Jost told me, You finish watching and then youre just sitting on your couch. Its a lot less fun than getting to celebrate or commiserate with your friends. In early March, when such things were still permissible, I met with Jost in his office at NBCs Rockefeller Plaza headquarters. With no particular sense of urgency, we talked about A Very Punchable Face, a book that is partly an account of his awkward coming-of-age in Staten Island and partly a recap of his relatively smooth career path from the Harvard Lampoon to S. N. L. to Weekend Update, which he anchors with Michael Che. When I asked him why he had written a memoir a step rarely taken by S. N. L. alums, let alone by someone still working at the show Jost told me he felt he had reached the end of what felt like a defined chapter in my life. Referring to his relationship with the actress Scarlett Johansson, Jost said, Im about to get married. I now almost have a stepdaughter who I love and is a big part of my life now. Im starting to do more and more outside of the show. It felt like the right time to look back. Within days, S. N. L. announced that it was suspending the rest of its live season and seemed unlikely to return. Gradually, however, its producers began strategizing to write and perform the show from home, a plan that at one point would have leaned more heavily on contributions from the Weekend Update desk.