Daniel A. Jost is best known publicly as the father of Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost, but that description captures only part of his story. Long before his son became a fixture behind the Weekend Update desk, Daniel built a career in New York City public education and became closely connected to civic life on Staten Island. He was teaching there on 11 September 2001, while his wife, Dr Kerry Kelly, was serving as the FDNY’s Chief Medical Officer during the World Trade Center attacks. In later years, Daniel also took on leadership responsibilities with the Staten Island Museum. His public profile is therefore less about celebrity than about education, family, community institutions and a distinctly Staten Island connection shared by his sons Colin and Casey Jost.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Daniel A. Jost |
| Known For | Father of Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost |
| Profession | Retired New York City public school teacher |
| Workplace | Staten Island Technical High School |
| Nationality | American |
| Residence/Connection | Staten Island, New York |
| Wife | Dr Kerry Kelly |
| Children | Colin Jost and Casey Jost |
| Son Colin Jost | Comedian, writer and SNL Weekend Update co-anchor |
| Son Casey Jost | Writer, producer and comedian |
| Community Role | Trustee and former Board Chair of the Staten Island Museum |
| Board Chair Tenure | 2019–2023 |
| Notable Experience | Was teaching at Staten Island Technical High School during the 9/11 attacks |
| Age / Date of Birth | Not reliably verified publicly |
| Net Worth | Not publicly verified |
Daniel A. Jost Is More Than Colin Jost’s Father
For many people, Daniel A. Jost enters the public conversation through Colin Jost, who joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2005 and became a Weekend Update co-anchor in 2014. In 2026, NBC and Peacock still identify Colin as a current cast member and co-anchor alongside Michael Che.
Daniel followed a different route. A New York City public school teacher associated with Staten Island Technical High School, he appears in the record through education, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and the Staten Island Museum rather than through a media career.
A Career Rooted in Staten Island Education
Reliable institutional accounts identify Daniel Jost as a retired New York City public school teacher. He taught at Staten Island Technical High School and was in a classroom there on the morning of the 9/11 attacks.
Public sources provide less dependable detail about the full chronology of his teaching career, the exact subjects he taught or the precise date he retired. Some biography websites publish specific dates, qualifications and financial claims without strong primary documentation.
What is established is that his professional life centred on students and families. That became especially significant on 11 September 2001.
The 9/11 Story That Shows Daniel Jost as an Educator
Daniel Jost’s clearest first-person account comes from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. In a 2023 educational programme, he recalled being in class when an assistant principal came to his doorway with news that a plane had struck the World Trade Center.
Many students at his Staten Island school had parents or relatives who were first responders. According to the museum, Daniel recognised the need to remain calm as information changed rapidly. He helped students leave school and reconnect with parents and guardians while uncertainty spread across New York.
His own family faced an immediate concern. Dr Kerry Kelly, Daniel’s wife, was the FDNY’s Chief Medical Officer and was directly involved in the emergency response. The museum recounts that Daniel received a message from his eldest son, Colin, asking, “Is mom okay?”
That moment connects three parts of the Jost family story: Daniel in the classroom, Kerry in emergency medicine and Colin worried about his mother. It also shows why public service is more than a background detail in this family’s history.
Dr Kerry Kelly and a Family Shaped by Public Service
Daniel A. Jost is married to Dr Kerry Kelly, whose medical career gives the family an important place in New York’s first-responder history. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum identifies Kelly as the FDNY’s Chief Medical Officer on 9/11 and says she established a medical triage centre that day before continuing work on health consequences affecting rescue and recovery personnel.
The couple raised two sons, Colin and Casey Jost, on Staten Island. Both eventually moved into comedy and television, but they grew up in a household where education and emergency public service were part of everyday life.
Daniel’s biography is therefore better understood through work and community than celebrity culture, even as his sons later carried a strong Staten Island identity into entertainment.
Daniel A. Jost and Colin Jost’s Staten Island Identity
Colin Jost is now the best-known member of the family. A Harvard graduate, he has spent more than two decades at Saturday Night Live and remains a Weekend Update co-anchor during the programme’s 2026–27 season.
Daniel should not be presented as the architect of Colin’s success without direct evidence. What can be said is that Colin’s upbringing was closely tied to the same Staten Island community in which his parents worked.
Colin has repeatedly returned to the borough as creative material. His film Staten Island Summer drew on his experiences growing up there, while his memoir, A Very Punchable Face, revisits family and formative years alongside his comedy career.
Daniel’s work as a local teacher therefore belongs to the social landscape that shaped Colin before national television made the Jost surname widely recognisable.
Casey Jost Extends the Family’s Comedy Connection
Daniel and Kerry’s younger son, Casey Jost, also established a career in entertainment. He is a writer, producer and comedian closely associated with Impractical Jokers, giving the family a second substantial connection to television comedy.
Daniel has remained comparatively low-profile and has not developed a celebrity career of his own. Casey’s work later intersected with his father’s civic involvement through the Staten Island Museum.
From the Classroom to Staten Island Museum Leadership
Daniel Jost’s community work continued after teaching. The Staten Island Museum’s current leadership page lists Daniel Jost among its trustees, confirming an ongoing relationship with the institution.
Museum records state that he served as Board Chair from 2019 to 2023. The museum credited him with helping guide the organisation through the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted his role in arranging a September 2019 comedy benefit featuring Colin Jost, Casey Jost, Michael Che and other guests.
The event raised $50,000 for the museum. Daniel was also credited with helping bring an Impractical Jokers exhibition to the institution, creating a direct link between his civic work and Casey’s television career.
This is one of the clearest examples of Daniel using family connections to support a Staten Island institution rather than to build a personal media brand.
What Is Known About Daniel A. Jost’s Age and Net Worth?
Daniel Jost’s exact date of birth is not established by the strongest publicly available institutional sources, so an exact age should be treated cautiously. Some websites publish specific birth dates, but those claims are not consistently backed by primary documentation.
The same applies to net worth. There is no credible, publicly verified figure for Daniel A. Jost’s personal wealth. Online estimates should not be presented as fact because his finances and assets are private.
His documented record is more substantial than those speculative details: a career in public education, first-hand experience of 9/11 as a teacher, a long-standing Staten Island connection and leadership work with the borough’s museum.
Conclusion
Daniel A. Jost’s public significance extends beyond his connection to Colin Jost. His record links New York City education, the lived experience of 9/11, a family closely connected to public service and years of civic involvement on Staten Island. While Colin and Casey built visible careers in comedy, Daniel remained rooted in teaching and community institutions. His later leadership at the Staten Island Museum reinforces that distinction: he is not simply a celebrity parent, but a retired educator whose own story is closely tied to the borough his family continues to represent.
FAQs
Who is Daniel A. Jost?
Daniel A. Jost is a retired New York City public school teacher and Staten Island community figure. He is the father of Saturday Night Live writer and Weekend Update co-anchor Colin Jost and writer-producer Casey Jost. He has also held leadership roles with the Staten Island Museum.
What did Daniel A. Jost do for a living?
Daniel worked as a teacher in the New York City public school system, including at Staten Island Technical High School. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum identifies him as a teacher there on 11 September 2001. He is now publicly described as retired.
Who is Daniel A. Jost’s wife?
Daniel is married to Dr Kerry Kelly. She served as Chief Medical Officer of the New York City Fire Department and was directly involved in the response to the 9/11 attacks, later working on health issues affecting firefighters and recovery personnel.
How is Daniel A. Jost related to Colin Jost?
Daniel is Colin Jost’s father. Colin is a comedian, writer and performer best known for Saturday Night Live. He joined the programme’s writing staff in 2005, became a Weekend Update co-anchor in 2014 and remains in that role in 2026.
Does Daniel A. Jost have another son?
Yes. Daniel and Kerry Kelly also have a younger son, Casey Jost, a writer, producer and comedian associated particularly with Impractical Jokers. Both sons work in entertainment, while Daniel’s principal professional background was in education.
What is Daniel A. Jost’s net worth?
Daniel A. Jost’s exact net worth is not publicly verified by a credible financial or institutional source. Online estimates vary and should be treated as speculation. His documented public record focuses on teaching, family and community service rather than personal finances.
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