“If you can have a piña colada on air while you’re working, you’re not technically working.”
-Scarlett Johannson
You’re aware by now, you avid surf news consumer, that SNL‘s Colin Jost is going to be on the mic when Olympic surfing hits Tahiti from July 27 to August 5, 2024. Jost is married to Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johansson, and she had some thoughts about his upcoming foray into surf commentating.
“I’m like, how did he get this gig?” Johansson said to Savannah Guthrie during a visit to TODAY.
Jost isn’t just a fan of watching surfing, but he’s a fan of actually surfing. The couple have a place in Montauk — which has a history surprisingly rich in surfing — and Jost, according to Johansson, he’s “always out there surfing.”
Jost, who is 42, was excited when he heard that surfing’s second go-’round with the Olympics would be held in Tahiti. He then was even more excited when the opportunity presented itself to cover it.
“Colin Jost hit the NBC Sports jackpot with an epic assignment covering surfing in Tahiti for the Paris Olympics,” said Molly Solomon, executive producer and president, production for NBC Olympics. “Although the setting is a little different than the ‘Weekend Update’ desk in Studio 8H, Colin, an avid surfer, is going to bring his unique flair to reporting on the competition, athletes, and beautiful surroundings in one of the most breathtaking Olympic venues ever.”
Johannson, however, made no bones about the fact that the assignment is a pretty damn cushy one.
“…somehow the dream became a reality, and now he’s going to be in Tahiti for two weeks, and I’m like, ‘Poor you,’” she said as she traced a tear’s path down her cheek.“He’s like, ‘Poor me, I’m going to be all over the place,’ and I’m like, ‘Are you?’” she continued. “I think if you can have a piña colada on air while you’re working, that’s not technically work.”
While it’s not exactly clear whether Olympic surfing announcers can, in fact, have piña coladas while working, it certainly would be a perk.
For his part, Jost isn’t just excited about the prospect of interviewing athletes, but he’s excited about testing his mettle against some of the best waves on the planet.
“I’m honored to get to watch the best surfers in the world compete on one of the heaviest waves imaginable, and to help showcase the rich history of surfing in Tahiti,” Jost said in an NBC Sports press release. “And my Writers Guild Health Insurance is excited to see what the coral reef does to my back.”
