Colin Jost

Colin Jost is a head writer at Saturday Night Live, a Weekend Update co-anchor, and a touring stand-up comedian. He has five Writers Guild Awards, two Peabody Awards, and a PETA Elly Award for the sketch “Diner Lobster.” He’s also been nominated for thirteen Emmy Awards and lost every time. From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and “seeing the sights” (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Facebook was created, Colin Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump. You’ll learn how Jimmy Buffett saved his life, Czech teenagers attacked him with potato salad, and how he competed in a twenty-five-man match at WrestleMania (and almost won). You’ll also go behind the scenes at SNL and Weekend Update and experience the life of a touring stand-up comedian — from performing in rural college cafeterias at noon to opening for Dave Chappelle at Radio City Music Hall. A Very Punchable Face (Crown) reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television. Fellow writer and comedian Conan O’Brien clearly was moved, and called it “An inspiring story that reminds us that if you are born with looks and talent, you can still make it.”