Barton Hall welcomed American comedian and writer Colin Jost — best known for his skits on Saturday Night Live — for a sold-out event and an evening full of laughter.
Jost’s appearance was organized by the Cornell University Program Board, which invited him for their largest event in the last four years, according to Head of Strategy for CUPB Melissa Reifman ’25. The show capped at around 3,500 seats and sold out days before the event was to take place.
The packed hall echoed with applause as Jost walked onstage. A fiery comment on recent Cornell events kicked off his fifty-minute set.
“What’s up Ithaca!” Jost said, entering the stage. “I want to thank the hard-working members of CUPB for having me tonight. They were very nice to invite me and also very nice to invite the organization [Immigrations and Customs Enforcement].”
Jost, a 15-time Emmy Award nominee for his writing on SNL, has been widely recognized for co-hosting “Weekend Update” alongside Michael Che. Their SNL sketch puts a satirical spin on current events, as they humorously comment on political and social topics that surface globally.
Jost continued his introductory comments with many references to the University. Tailoring his jokes to the likes of Cornell students, he made note of the many gorges, the weather and even the dynamic between the University and Ithaca College.
“It’s great to be at Cornell… Isn’t it so great if someone’s like, ‘Where do you go to school?’ And you’re like, ‘Ithaca’ – and you then don’t have to be like ‘Ithaca College,’” Jost said.
Jost also mentioned his aunt and uncle, who both studied at the University. After mentioning his aunt, a hotel administration major, scattered cheers resounded throughout the hall. In response, Jost came back to jokes that referred to the School of Hotel Administration throughout the event, specifically pointing at a group of hotel students sitting in the front.
Students laugh as they listen to Colin Jost's comedy at Barton Hall. (Courtesy of Ranya Benchaaboune '25/Cornell University Program Board)
“I would like to tell you something inspiring for all the people who are majoring in Hotel Administration — my aunt came here to study hotels, and now she stays in hotels.”
The rest of the evening was filled with varying anecdotes. He reminisced “sadly” skiing at Greek Peak, shared old sketch pitches and gave witty punches at pop culture references.
Jost’s set was unexpectedly opened by two other American comedians Michael Longfellow and Molly Kearney, who both made their SNL debuts in 2022. Their sets, contrasting in energy and content, appealed to the various preferences of the crowd, setting the stage for Jost’s headlining act. Hazel Tjaden ‘28, who has grown up watching SNL, attended CUPB’s event as her first comedy show and expressed appreciation for the openers.
“I really enjoyed that there were a couple openers,” Tjaden said. “It was really nice to see other cast members and other types of jokes — they weren’t all the same sort of humor but it was still cohesive.”
Longfellow opened with a lower energy set, filled with dark humor. Kearney kept their segment upbeat, bringing vibrancy and energy to the stage.
“You guys are going to the library after this — I’m making fun of you, but I’m not. Like you are going to save the world,” Kearney said, making light of the University’s academic reputation.
Reifman reflected on CUPB’s ambitions for the event’s impact on Cornellians, explaining why the anticipation for a night of relaxation and laughter has perfect timing before spring break.
“The buzz surrounding the show has been amazing so far — it's great to see the Cornell community this excited,” Reifman wrote in a statement to The Sun. “We hope that everyone can come together to just relax and laugh for an hour, especially as students make the final push to finish up work before spring break.”
As the night came to an end, Jost was bid farewell with a final round of applause from the audience. Kaya Beckles ’28, a fan of SNL through high school, reflected on her experience as an attendee and her resonation with Jost as a New York resident.
“[SNL] is such a ‘New York thing.’ [Jost] is my favorite cast member actually,” Beckles said. “During the show I was really excited and I thought he was really hilarious.”
