Pete Davidson and Colin Jost to turn decommissioned Staten Island ferry into an event space


Just call them the kings of Staten Island.
Saturday Night Live stars Pete Davidson and Colin Jost have partnered with comedy club owner Paul Italia to buy a decommissioned Staten Island ferry boat, according to The New York Post. The three reportedly spent $280,000 on the boat, which was sold at auction by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services — and Italia told the Post they have "grand plans" for it.
"The idea is to turn the space into a live entertainment event space, with comedy, music, art, et cetera," Italia told the Post. "We're in the early stages, but everybody involved had the same ambition — not to see this thing go to the scrapyard."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The John F. Kennedy ferry was described as being in "poor condition" and was decommissioned due to mechanical issues, the auction listing said. After starting with an initial offer of $125,000, it sold for $280,100 to an unidentified bidder, later revealed by the Post and Vulture to be Jost, Davidson, and Italia. "SOLD: $280,100," the DCAS tweeted. "The rest of you will not be owning a Staten Island Ferry boat. Sorry."
Davidson and Jost are both from Staten Island, New York, and Davidson starred in the 2020 comedy The King of Staten Island. According to NBC News, they'll now have 10 days to get the boat out of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services' hands. It's unclear when their planned ferry event space could open, though the ribbon cutting ceremony will presumably include a live rendition of "I'm on a Boat."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?
The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate branding
In the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play