SNL co-stars Pete Davidson and Colin Jost are undertaking a new business venture beyond the 30 Rock stage. The comedic duo recently purchased a decommissioned Staten Island ferry boat and plan to turn It Into a New York City nightclub. Named after President John F. Kennedy, the boat was the oldest ferry In the fleet when It was taken out of commission last year. The ferry was auctioned off by New York City’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services for a winning bed of $280,100.
Davidson and Jost are partnering with comedy club owner Paul Italia to completely redo the ferry. “The Staten Island Ferry is definitely something iconic,” Italia, who co-owns the restaurant and comedy club The Stand, said Friday. “We wanted to figure out a way to save it and to do something special with it.”
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However, there Is a lot of work to be done to get the boat ready to become New York City’s next big hotspot. “It’s really early stages here,” Italia continued. “You have a great idea and you’re working on executing it and the first step is the acquisition of the boat, and I think that that’s the story right now. We were successful in acquiring the boat and making sure it didn’t go into the scrapyard like the last two.” They are currently working on finding a spot to dock the ship permanently.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams voiced his support for the project on Twitter. “Live, from St. George Terminal!” Adams wrote. “Pete, [Colin]: I love this idea. What a great way to give an NYC icon a second life. Let us know how we can help and we’ll be there for the maiden voyage.” Jost tweeted a response, joking “Got a parking spot?”
Davidson has most recently been making headlines due to his relationship with Kim Kardashian, his latest in a string of high-profile girlfriends. During his recent stand-up set at the 9th annual Patrice O’Neal Comedy Benefit Concert in New York City, Davidson made some self-deprecating jokes about how this keeps happening to him. “There seems to be a curiosity about me, is what my friends tell me,” he said, per Us Weekly. “I was trying to figure out how to explain myself to someone because I was doing an interview,” he said.
He went on to compare himself to the movie Tropic Thunder, noting that he’s something like a DVD one might find in the discount bin at a local corner store. “I’m Tropic Thunder. I’m the diamond in the trash,” he quipped. “It’s a steal.”
