Colin Jost joked he and his wife Scarlett Johansson should combine their box office hauls so she can reclaim her highest-grossing actor title from Zoe Saldana

And 43-year-old comedian Colin - who has featured in the likes of The Bad Guys 2, Coming 2 America, and Tom + Jerry - could not help but make light of the news during the January 17 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live.

While a bar graph of the actress' earnings appeared on-screen, Colin said during the Weekend Update segment of the sketch comedy series: "Zoe Saldana - who stars in the new Avatar movie - has surpassed Scarlett Johansson to become the highest-grossing actress of all time."

He then quipped: "Ok, well let's see what happens if you include the box office from Scarlett's husband's movies."

As Colin delivered the joke, the total earnings for Scarlett - who has appeared in the likes of Black Widow, Jurassic World: Rebirth, and Disney's live-action Jungle Book - dropped from $15.4 billion to $15.1 billion.

Laughing with the audience, Colin said: "It went down?"

Meanwhile, Zoe was thrilled to have surpassed Scarlett - who has daughter Rose, 11, with her 44-year-old ex-husband, journalist Romain Dauriac, and son Cosmo, four, with Colin - with a total of $16,859,193,100, thanks to her roles in top film franchises, including in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Star Trek series.

The star of Avatar: Fire and Ash - which, according to Box Office Mojo - earned $1.23 billion at the worldwide box office - reacted to the data from The Numbers in a video shared to Instagram.

She said: "I just want to express my sincerest gratitude for the extraordinary journey that has led me to become the highest-grossing film actor of all time today.

"An achievement made possible entirely, entirely by the incredible franchises and the collaborators that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of, to every director who placed their trust in me."

Zoe praised Star Trek (2009) director JJ Abrams, 59, Avengers filmmakers Anthony Russo, 55, and Joe Russo, 54, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, 59, and Avatar creator James Cameron, 71, for "believing my potential for seeing something in me that I have not always seen in myself".

The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl actress also lauded them for "challenging me to always rise to the occasion".

Zoe added: "Your faith, your guidance and your vision, they shape not only these films, but me as an artist."

The Emilia Perez cast member - who has three sons, twins Cy and Bowie, 10, and Zen, nine, with her 46-year-old husband, filmmaker Marco Perego-Saldana - then thanked her fans.

Zoe said: "Your unwavering support, passion and loyalty are the true foundation of this milestone. None of this exists without you showing up time and time again with open hearts and enthusiasm.

"This accomplishment belongs to all of us, and I'm deeply grateful and profoundly humbled. And may the next record breaker be another woman!"

As well as Zoe and Scarlett, their Marvel movies co-stars Samuel L. Jackson, 77, Robert Downey Jr., 60, and Chris Pratt, 46, complete the top five on the list of the highest-grossing actors of all time.