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In a seriously unsettling turn of events, one of Scarlett Johansson’s alleged stalkers has been arrested after threatening to bomb her husband, Colin Jost’s workplace — Saturday Night Live.
The man at the center of it all is 48-year-old Michael Joseph Branham, who, according to The Independent, even has a tattoo of the name “Scarlett” inked on his chest. Branham was taken into custody on Wednesday in Manhattan and charged with making mass harm threats and filing false reports.
According to court documents, Branham had been sending disturbing messages to his online university, which eventually landed in the hands of NBC Universal and were then flagged to the NYPD. One of his chilling texts, reported by the New York Post, read:
“THE NEXT TIME YOU HEAR FROM ME, I WILL BE ON CNN FOR EXPLODING A BOMB IN THE SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE AUDIENCE.”
Police moved quickly after the threats surfaced. Branham, who is also a father of two, was arrested and appeared in court on Thursday evening. The judge set his bail at $100,000 cash or a $300,000 bond.
This isn’t the first time Branham has made unwanted advances toward Johansson. Their history goes back to 2023, when the Avengers star sought a restraining order against him. Reports say Branham repeatedly showed up at her home uninvited and made bizarre declarations about her online — even claiming he was the father of one of her children.
His social media posts paint a clear picture of his obsession. In one X (formerly Twitter) post, he bizarrely referred to Johansson as his fiancée, writing:
“Thank you so much, my fiancée #SCARLETTJOHANSSON for buying me a car !!!! You’re the best woman ever in my life, even before you bought me this car! I love you beautiful!!!!”
In another post from November 2023, Branham doubled down on his delusions, saying:
“Don’t worry about anything #SCARLETTINGRIDJOHANSSON I still have not cheated on you, no matter what the brain interface people tell you in the air waves!!! I love you honey I’m waiting for you still in Hollywood.”
As for Scarlett and Colin, they tied the knot in 2020 after dating for three years. They welcomed their son Cosmo in 2021, and Scarlett is also mom to her 10-year-old daughter, Rose Dorothy, from a previous marriage.
Thankfully, it seems law enforcement acted swiftly in this case — but it’s another stark reminder of how dangerous and invasive celebrity stalking can be.