The business failure of Pete Davidson and Colin Jost: the ferry they wanted to transform into an event venue remains stranded years later

Pete Davidson (Staten Island, 31 years old) returned to Saturday Night Live (SNL) on Saturday three years after announcing his departure from the program that made him famous. A specific appearance, in the form of a sketch, in which he starred alongside Colin Jost, friend, companion and business partner. Precisely, this last point is what they both focused on in their four-minute appearance. All after The New York Times published a story on October 20 that described the investment they made when purchasing a Staten Island ferry in 2022 as a “fiasco.” Both, born on the New York island, saw a business opportunity in the boat: they wanted to turn it into a floating space for events, with two restaurants, six bars, a concert hall and hotel rooms with private terraces. The John F. Kennedy, an 84-meter-long ferry, transported more than 3,000 passengers on its daily trips between Staten Island and Manhattan. Now it is stranded in the Kill Van Kull Strait and there is no sign of this changing.More information“In case you were wondering why I had to do a show in Saudi Arabia, we are losing millions with this ferry,” Davidson said, in a humorous tone, on SNL. “I guess that’s what the article says, because I can’t spend five dollars on the subscription when I’m going to be a father,” he continued. He also joked that during the recent New York Marathon the ship was used as a billboard and that it has been renamed «Titanic 2.» And the new name is no joke. The ferry, out of service, was purchased for $280,000 and its ambitious plan was around a $35 million investment. As reported by The New York Times, Jost called the acquisition «the most foolish and thoughtless purchase» he had ever made. For his part On the other hand, Davidson described it as “a lifelong problem” for both. The legal problems they are facing would be aggravating their business plans, delaying times more than expected: “The limited liability company, created by Jost and Davidson and their partners, has been sued for non-payment by the law firm hired to manage the docking and towing contracts,” the media reports. The lawsuit was filed in June before the Supreme Court of the State of New York, where it is alleged that “Titanic 2.” [el nombre del barco y de la sociedad] has failed to comply and has refused to pay its outstanding obligations» for an amount of $13,500. As of October 20, that figure remained unpaid: «We have not received any payment or response to our lawsuit,» the plaintiffs’ lawyer stated in the article. The former John F. Kennedy is unable to move under his own power: a fire damaged the engine long before its sale and, since then, it is necessary to pay mooring and travel expenses. According to the aforementioned estimates periodic, the monthly expenses would be much higher than $10,000 and, since its purchase, no type of repair or maintenance had been carried out. The Department of Administrative Services of the City usually gets rid of the obsolete inventory owned by New York And for this, periodic public auctions were held. Initially, the ferry was valued. between $60,000 and $100,000. But the bid was set at $250,000 after it was known that it was the oldest ship in the fleet. Neither Jost nor Davidson wanted to comment for the New York Times article; their representatives assured the newspaper that they preferred to talk about the project «when it is closer to its completion. A project that began because of the affection that both have for this type of boat: for example, Jost, husband.» of the actress Scarlett Johansson, used to use it to go to and from Regis High School, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. No one has talked about deadlines or whether they continue to maintain the initial idea of transforming the ferry into a large meeting, restaurant and party space, but it doesn’t seem like they are taking it too seriously.