The Real Reason Scarlett Johansson Cut Her First Date With Colin Jost Short
Scarlett Johansson reveals her first date with future husband Colin Jost was such a dud she left early, rattled and out of her element — leaving him unsure they’d ever work. The now-married pair almost ended their story before it began in 2017.
Scarlett Johansson says her first date with Colin Jost was such a panic spiral that she bailed before 10 p.m. Obviously things turned out fine, but the origin story is not exactly rom-com smooth.
The first date that almost wasn't
On the new episode of Today with Jenna & Friends (People has the quotes), Johansson explained that classic dating has never really been her thing. By her own description, she tends to jump from relationship to relationship, so being asked out the old-fashioned way felt weirdly high stakes.
Jost picked a nice Italian spot in New York's East Village, and the dinner itself went great. Then the plan shifted to post-meal drinks, and she immediately got in her head. Cue the internal alarm bells, and a hard pivot to heading home instead of nightcap number two.
"I have to go now. I need to leave."
"I totally thought that was it. You were acting so weird."
That first line is how she remembers the moment the date ended. The second is Jost's take; he figured he'd blown it. She got home to relieve her babysitter at 9:36, which tells you just how fast she ghosted the evening, and even the sitter was confused why she was back so early. Johansson summed it up as feeling flustered and out of her element. Relatable. Brutal. Still funny in hindsight.
How they got from awkward exit to marriage
- They first crossed paths in 2006 when Johansson hosted SNL. No sparks then.
- They reconnected in 2017, right after Johansson finalized her divorce from journalist Romain Dauriac. She and Dauriac share daughter Rose, who's 11 now.
- Before that, Johansson was married to Ryan Reynolds from 2008 to 2011.
- Despite the wobbly first date, Johansson and Jost started seeing each other and made it official.
- They married in 2020 and later welcomed a son, Cosmo, who's 4.
- Last May on SNL, Jost brought roses on stage and kissed Johansson in a sweet little surprise moment.
So yeah, the date that felt like a flop ended in a family of four. The irony: two people built for live TV, and the scariest part was ordering a second drink.