Colin Jost and Pete Davidson are best known as standout Saturday Night Live comedians, but in the past few years, their reputations have been just as closely linked to another New York institution: their Staten Island Ferry. They purchased the retired boat at auction in 2022, spending an initial $280,100 on the giant ferry, which they adoringly named the Titanic 2. While their plans to turn the vessel into a floating event space have slowly started to come together, the project could be a financial drain for the two Staten Island natives as well as the butt of many jokes on SNL. Now, a state representative is offering a solution to put an immediate end to the celebrity owners’ hardship: sink it.
After buying the iconic orange boat, Jost and Davidson have found out the hard way how much it actually costs to not only dock and maintain a giant ferry, but also renovate it. Already, the two comedians have spent around $1 million, including legal fees and the original purchase, on this estimated $34 million project. Chris LaPorta, a coordinator for the New York State Department of Conservation, told The City Reporter he could save Jost and Davidson from any further cash flow by turning it into an artificial reef, and therefore a unique underwater attraction:
