Colin Jost Shares the Story Behind Scarlett Johansson’s Scandinavian Surname

Colin Jost recently explained how to pronounce his wife Scarlett Johansson’s last name during a Q&A for Netflix’s Pop Culture Jeopardy.

Responding to an audience question, Jost said he pronounces it “Jo-hansson,” while noting that the original Scandinavian pronunciation was likely closer to “Yo-hansson.” He joked that his own surname, Jost, may once have been pronounced “Yost” in Germany before both families’ names evolved over time.

Johansson, who holds American and Danish citizenship, has Danish and Swedish ancestry through her father’s side. Jost also referenced her family history, which was explored on PBS’s Finding Your Roots in 2017. During the program, Johansson learned about her maternal great-grandfather’s immigration from Poland to the United States in 1910 and the tragic fate of relatives who remained in Poland and later died in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust.

Jost also shared that the most famous contact in his phone is “probably the one labeled wife,” before adding that he also has the phone numbers of former President Barack Obama and rapper Jack Harlow. He joked that he has accidentally called Harlow several times while trying to reach a friend with a similar name.