Michael Joseph Branham, the alleged stalker of actress Scarlett Johansson, has been arrested after sending a threatening message about bombing Saturday Night Live. The 48-year-old man, who reportedly has a realistic heart tattoo on his chest with the word “Scarlett,” was charged with making a threat of mass harm and false reporting of an incident. The arrest came after Branham sent a text message to an online university, claiming, “THE NEXT TIME YOU HERE [sic] FROM ME I WILL BE ON CNN FOR EXPLODING A BOMB IN SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE AUDIENCE.”
The threatening message was forwarded to NBC Universal, who then contacted the NYPD. Branham was arrested on Wednesday and arraigned in Manhattan criminal court on Thursday. He was held on a $100,000 cash bail or a $300,000 bond.
Branham’s obsession with Johansson has been well-documented. In 2023, Johansson reportedly attempted to obtain a restraining order against him after he repeatedly showed up at her home and posted bizarre claims about her on social media. One such post on X (formerly Twitter) read, “Thank you so much my fiance’ #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!!!!”
Johansson, who has been married to Colin Jost since October 2020, is reportedly feeling the strain of Branham’s actions. The comedian Jost, who co-hosts “Weekend Update” on SNL, has often joked about their marriage on the show. Johansson recently shared that she felt “faint” after “vulgar” jokes made about her during the 2024 Christmas episode, a situation made worse by the ongoing harassment.
Branham remains in custody as investigations continue.
