Entertainment

Pete Davidson apologizes to wounded vet he mocked on SNL

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Texas congressman-elect Dan Crenshaw appeared on Weekend Update alongside comedian

Texas Congressman-elect and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw, from left, Pete Davidson, Anchor Colin Jost, and Anchor Michael Che appear during Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update in New York after Davidson mocked Crenshaw's eye patch last week. (Will Heath/NBC via The Associated Press)

Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson has apologized for mocking the appearance of a veteran who lost an eye in Afghanistan.

Texas congressman-elect Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, joined the comedian as well as Colin Jost and Michael Che on the Weekend Update anchor desk.

Seated next to Crenshaw, Davidson said he regretted his previous comments about the Republican politician.

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"I mean this from the bottom of my heart," said Davidson. "It was a poor choice of words. The man is a war hero and he deserves all the respect in the world."

The apology came after Davidson had mocked Crenshaw's eye patch a week earlier on the live show, likening his appearance to "a hit man in a porno movie." The veteran lost his right eye in an IED blast while serving in Afghanistan. The U.S. National Republican Congressional Committee was among those who criticized Davidson for the comment.

It was a rare apologetic moment by the comedy show, which often ignores criticism of its politically related sketches.

Crenshaw was given a chance to take a few cheap shots at Davidson. After jokingly resisting, Crenshaw then referred to Davidson as looking "like a troll doll with a tapeworm" and "if the meth from Breaking Bad was a person." When his cellphone rang, the ringtone was a song by Ariana Grande, who recently split from Davidson in a high-profile post-engagement breakup.

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Crenshaw's appearance took a more serious turn as he encouraged people to connect with war veterans and pay tribute to heroes like Davidson's father, a firefighter who died on 9/11.

With files from the Associated Press