Inside the Hilarious World of Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost’s Pranks – Including an Epic Birthday Surprise!

Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost aren’t your average Hollywood power couple—they’re a duo with a penchant for mischief that keeps fans laughing and guessing. Married since October 2020, the Black Widow star and SNL’s “Weekend Update” maestro have turned pranks into a quirky hallmark of their relationship. From green slime to cringe-worthy zingers, their playful antics—most notably a viral moment at the 2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards—reveal a bond that thrives on humor, even under the spotlight’s glare.

The crown jewel of their prank lore unfolded on May 16, 2021, during Johansson’s acceptance of the MTV Generation Award. As she delivered her speech from home, Jost, ever the jokester, seized the moment. Mid-sentence, he doused her with a bucket of green slime, turning a dignified nod to her career into a gooey spectacle. Johansson’s reaction was pure gold: “What the f–k?” she blurted, before deadpanning, “That’s Nickelodeon!”—a jab at Jost’s claim of “MTV, you got slimed!” Caught on camera and chronicled by Us Weekly and The List, the stunt was a hit. X lit up with delight—@doreenh1989 called it “a funny bit,” while @nnocera2580 dubbed them “a perfect match.” Four years later, as of March 18, 2025, it’s still the prank fans point to when charting their comedic chemistry.

But their hijinks don’t stop at slime. Jost’s SNL gig pulls Johansson into a different kind of playful fray: the infamous joke swap with co-host Michael Che. In this recurring bit, the pair write brutal, unfiltered lines for each other to read live—often with Johansson as the punchline. Take December 2024’s winter finale, when Jost delivered a jaw-droppingly crude quip about Johansson’s anatomy, leaving her “genuinely shocked” backstage, per People. X user @SpencerAlthouse captured the vibe with a simple “omg.” Or rewind to May 2024, when Jost zinged her Oscar-nominated flick Her with, “I didn’t watch it because without that body, what’s the point of listening?” Johansson later told HuffPost it made her “black out.” Not pranks in the classic sense, these moments—scripted yet personal—still showcase their willingness to lean into the absurd together.

There’s an earlier footnote, too. In 2018, Che pranked Jost by crashing his intimate birthday dinner with Johansson via a hired clown. The couple donned balloon hats in retaliation, per The List, but it was more Che’s mischief than their own—a sidecar to their direct antics.

Public reaction splits along lines of taste. The MTV slime fest? Universally adored, a lighthearted caper that cemented their charm. X posts from 2021 still echo with praise. The SNL swaps? Trickier terrain. Johansson’s called them “terrifying” in The Hollywood Reporter, and some fans wince at the edge, but others revel in the rawness. “They’re so real for this,” one X user mused after the 2024 finale. It’s a tightrope—prank or performance art?—but it keeps their dynamic in the chatter.

For Johansson, 40, and Jost, 42, pranks are more than gags; they’re a love language. Whether it’s slime cascading over an award or a cringe-inducing live read, they’ve built a partnership that laughs through the chaos. As Johansson once quipped post-slime, wiping goo from her face, they’re in on the joke—together. In Hollywood’s polished orbit, that’s a rare, messy kind of magic.