Colin Jost and Pete Davidson Finally Find Use for Their Staten Island Ferry
Pete Davidson and Colin Jost might finally be on their way to recouping some of the $280,000+ they sunk into the purchase of a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry boat at auction in 2022. Tommy Hilfiger will be hosting his flagship New York Fashion Week event on the permanently docked MV John F. Kennedy ferryboat.
Page Six reported on Thursday that the vessel was recently spotted being pulled by tug boats near the South Street Seaport ahead of Hilfiger's Sept. 8 spring 2025 show. Speaking with Women’s Wear Daily last month, the renowned fashion designer likewise confirmed as much. The ferry, which still has it's original interiors intact, "will become the perfect stage," Hilfiger’s firm said.
The show is intended to usher in a farewell to the ferry's initial purpose, while celebrating its upcoming transformation into an entertainment venue, "blending nostalgia with contemporary fashion under the new ownership of Pete Davidson and Colin Jost."
"New York City is the birthplace of the American dream, and the Staten Island Ferry represents the gateway to self-expression for so many across history," Hilfiger said in a statement. "By hosting this year’s show aboard the MV John F. Kennedy, a recently decommissioned ferry, we will celebrate the quintessential New York City landmark, while writing our nautical-inspired codes firmly into the vessel’s iconic legacy."
Jost and Davidson first opened up about the purchase of the ferry in January 2022 Saturday Night Live "Weekend Update" segment, with Davidson at the time calling it a "windowless van of the sea." The pair, along with a third investor, comedy club owner Paul Italia, had big plans to convert the ferry into an comedy and nightclub venue with a budget of $34 million.
Related: Colin Jost Reveals Gnarly Injuries That Ended Olympic Coverage Dreams
However, it apparently didn't take long before the pair got hit with some buyer's remorse. At the premiere of Transformers: Rise of the Beast in June 2023, Davidson told Entertainment Tonight that he had "no idea what's going on with that thing."
"Me and Colin were very stoned a year ago and bought a ferry. And we're figuring it out," he continued. "Hopefully it turns into a Transformer and gets the f--k out of there so I can stop paying for it!" (For what it's worth, Jost later noted that he was "stone cold sober" when he made the decision.)
Tabloid reports from earlier this year suggested that the ferry, which had originally shuttled commuters between Manhattan and Staten Island from 1965 until August 2021, had caused a rift in the pair's friendship.
"What began as a promising venture has devolved into bitter disappointment, serving as a stark reminder of the perils of mixing business with friendship," a source claimed to In Touch. "While Colin is scrambling to assemble a competent team, Pete seems to have gone AWOL. It remains to be seen whether their friendship can weather the storm!"
With any luck, the Hilfiger show, which Jost will reportedly likely attend, will be a step in the right direction for turning a profit on their investment.