Who: Pete Davidson

Cast Member Since: 2014

Love him or hate him, it is safe to say there has never been a Saturday Night Live cast member quite like Pete Davidson.

While most comedians draw inspiration from their life experiences, Davidson seems to be another league. At only 25-years-old, his past includes losing a parent during the September 11th attacks, a Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis, substance abuse, Chron’s Disease, a suicide scare and a very high profile, very public dating high.

After 44 years on air, SNL has certainly had its share of cast members battling drugs or mental illness, but none have been as out in the open with as Davidson. In some substance abuse cases, like Chris Farley, I wouldn’t say it was ignored, but it feels like it was tolerated in a different way. As Lorne Michaels told Rolling Stone in 1998 after Farley’s death, “When he was being funny, it made everything else that happened fade into the background.”

What makes Davidson unique to SNL is how he seemingly uses the show as a personal coping mechanism. By owning who he is, Davidson brings a voice to the air full of awkward confessions to subject matters most people wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about with their own families – let alone a national television audience. If one were to make a YouTube playlist of Davidson’s first five years of Weekend Update appearances, you’ll hear him find humor in his unstable upbringing, difficulties with getting sober and his mental health – even going bald from medication. And when he’s not riffing on controversial subjects like transgender rights, R. Kelley & Michael Jackson or President Trump, he’s making his own trouble with questionable jabs at war veterans and the Catholic Church. In other words, jokes that most would keep in the writers room, Davidson brings directly to live TV – and is then forced to awkwardly walk back.

Sometimes this works as intended. In recapping the 40th season back in 2014-2015, I wrote (and still feel) that Davidson’s debut Weekend Update appearance was the 2nd best moment of that entire season (second only to Mike O’Brien’s amazing Jay-Z Story). Other times, it doesn’t, and his offscreen problems take control. Over his first five years, Davidson missed five episodes completely, and only appeared in pre-filmed sequences in eleven other episodes. Considering Davidson has been employed by SNL for 73 total episodes to date, he is nearly the opposite of co-cast member Beck Bennett’s perfect attendance.

So how was Davidson’s recently wrapped 5th year on SNL? With over 60 total on screen appearances, it was certainly his most productive (his average over the first four years was under 50). Especially comparing it to the 2016-2017 season, which was Davidson’s low point in terms of episodes missed, and a year he described to Rolling Stone as a “fucking nightmare.” For now, Davidson seems to have found a new partner with co-cast member Chris Redd, and their early season music video “Trees” was minor viral hit. Davidson also formed an unlikely off-air alliance with former SNL writer John Mulaney during the 2018-2019 season. This resulted in not only Davidson’s funniest moment on SNL in years, but also a successful mini-tour in early 2019.

So while Davidson’s legacy on SNL will no doubt be his brutally honest Weekend Update appearances, he continues to struggle in sketch work. His 2018-2019 output was OK, but I’m personally not a big fan of his primary original character, Chad . I didn’t mind the first 1-2 outings in 2016 , but with six total appearances as of this writing, there just isn’t enough to justify this as a recurring bit. I’m in the same boat with his Posters sketches.

Offscreen, he’s still finding ways to make the wrong headlines as well. As recently as August 2019, Davidson was in the news for lashing out at audience members during a stand-up show over a broken no mobile phone policy. I get it. They broke the rules, but I’m sure Davidson wishes he could take this one back.

Looking ahead, if Davidson can maintain the productivity shown in Season 44, keep the Weekend Update stuff fresh, and maybe get lucky with a few sketches, 2019-2020 could be his best yet. I really hope it is.

Below are two examples of Davidson’s recent non-Weekend Update work. Compare. Contrast. Enjoy!

Sketch: Rudolph’s Big Night

Episode: Jason Momoa/Mumford & Sons (12/8/18)

Note: Davidson’s strongest sketch of the season, and an example of how when he plays to his strengths, an exaggerated version of his Weekend Update persona can work away from the news desk.

Sketch: Millennial Millions

Episode: Rachel Brosnahan/Greta Van Fleet (1/19/19)

Note: Host Brosnahan and co-cast members Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong and Kyle Mooney get the big laughs in this one, but this segment perfectly demonstrates how most of Davidson’s sketch work goes – supporting roles.

SNL REPORT CARD / PETE DAVIDSON: 2 Coneys

SCALE:

4 Coneys = Excellent / 3 Coneys = Good / 2 Coneys = Needs Improvement / 1 Coney = Worst

Jason Nummer still wonders what a second SNL season with Brooks Wheelan would have been like. You can follow him on Twitter at @jrnummer.

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