No Joke: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Stars Buy Decommissioned Staten Island Ferry

All jokes aside… “Saturday Night Live” stars Pete Davidson and Colin Jost have apparently been revealed as the buyers of a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry, at least according to the New York Post.

The comedians partnered with a Manhattan real estate broker, Paul Italia, to purchase the John F. Kennedy ferry at auction for a reported $280,000.

The plans? Turn the old boat into an entertainment venue and comedy club.

“We’re in the early stages, but everybody involved had the same ambition — not to see this thing go to the scrapyard,” Italia told The Post.

The new owners now 10 days to move the ferry from the St. George Ferry Terminal, under tow of course considering the ship is inoperable.

“We’re talking to a lot of shipyards in the area,” Italia said.

Davidson and Jost are natives of Staten Island, so it kind of makes sense.

The John F. Kennedy ferry was built by the Levingston Shipbuilding Company in 1965 and operated in the Staten Island Ferry fleet for over five decades. She was retired from service in August 2021, replaced by the new Michael H. Ollis, the first of three new Ollis-class ferries under construction Staten Island Ferries.

The plan isn’t the first time a historic vessel will be get a second lease as a nightclub. As we reported, the historic ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 was recently reopened in October as one of Dubai’s hottest new nightclubs, hosting some 1,000 club-goers on the ship’s famous upper deck with the iconic Dubai skyline in the backdrop.

Enjoy shipownership, fellas! Just don’t quit your day jobs, you’re going to need the money. We’ll leave you with this:

Editorial Standards · Corrections · About gCaptain

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 106,966 members