We’re two years into Pete Davidson’s reign as the king of Staten Island, and every great monarch needs a mighty vessel. Davidson now has his, after purchasing a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry boat for $280,000, per theNew York Post. Along for the ride is his fellow Staten Island native and Saturday Night Live castmate Colin Jost, who went in on the successful auction bid, along with the comedy club owner Paul Italia.
It’s yet to be determined where the John F. Kennedy, as the ferry is named, will be docked. (Davidson apparently has said it would first head to Gowanus for repairs.) They now have 10 days to pick up and move the boat, which seems like it could be a pretty good sketch in and of itself.
Italia told the Post that the trio wants “to turn the space into a live entertainment event space with comedy, music, art, et cetera.” No surprise then, that many jokes about the boat’s intended usage have referenced SNL fan favorite Stefon and his penchant for eccentric party locations.
The idea of a floating comedy club isn’t totally novel, but it would certainly be a unique addition to the New York nightlife landscape, which, to this point, has remained disappointingly landlocked. The JFK is a little less than 300 feet long and was built to hold 3,000 passengers, but obviously its interior will need significant revamping to become suitable for audiences.
There’s clearly some nostalgia factor to Davidson and Jost’s decision. “It’s crazy. We used to take that ferry to do stand-up all the time,” Davidson said in a video obtained by the Post. The actor currently lives in a luxury condo on Staten Island, and notably shared a home in the borough with his mother. Davidson has also brought Kim Kardashian to spend time on Staten Island.
Once it’s up and running, this new venue will be either the best or worst place for New York City comedians to test run their freshest Staten Island jokes.