You've Been Warned, Michael Che: Scarlett Johansson Says ‘SNL’ ‘Retaliation Should Be Expected’

It wasn’t enough that Michael Che makes Saturday Night Live made Johansson stand there on live television while her husband spoke some Che-scripted vulgarity. 

As soon as a picture of Johansson, captioned “40th BIRTHDAY,” appeared over Jost’s shoulder, he knew he was in trouble. “I want to dedicate this next joke to my boo, Scarlett Johansson,” he read off the teleprompter as the camera cut to the actress in the wings. He noted that she looked “genuinely worried.”

“Hey, boo. You all know Scarlett just celebrated her 40th birthday, which means I’m about to get up out of there,” Jost said. “Shizz!”

A laughing Johansson threw her hands up, mouthing “Why?” as in “Why do you two Neanderthals need to include me in your reindeer games?”

“Nah, nah, I’m just playing,” Jost continued. “We just had a kid together, and y’all ain’t see no pictures of him yet cause he black as hell. Shizz.”

Then it was Che’s turn to read Jost jokes, seemingly leaving Johansson in the clear. But nope, her night was about to get worse. Jost’s next round went like this:

“Costco has removed the roast beef sandwich from its menu. But I ain’t trippin’,” Jost read. “I’ve been eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid. Shizz.”

Cue Johansson’s reaction and an audible “Oh my God!”

“Nah, nah, I’m just playin’, baby,” Jost continued. “You know I don’t go downtown. Shizz. ‘Cause that’s gay as hell.”

Johansson didn’t get a chance to fire back — at least not during the Christmas episode. “I had all these cameras on me. I didn’t expect the setup to be like that,” Johansson told Vanity Fair. “I was like, ‘Wow, you really are seventh-, eighth-grade boys.’” 

But now that she’s hosting the SNL season finale, the gloves are coming off. And if the swirling rumors about Che and Jost leaving the show are true, this could be her last chance at sweet, sweet revenge. “I feel like it’s almost my responsibility to come up with some way to burn Michael back. Retaliation, I’d say, should be expected,” she warned. And it sounds like Johansson won’t be acting alone in executing her revenge scheme. 

“Others on the show could this desire,” she said. “Know what I mean?”