Pete Davidson confirms he's leaving "Saturday Night Live"
Pete Davidson confirmed that he is leaving "Saturday Night Live" after eight seasons. "It's crazy to think that today I'll be doing my last one," Davidson wrote on Instagram prior to Saturday's season finale.
Davidson does not have his own Instagram account, but he posted a message through Dave Sirus, who writes for "Saturday Night Live." The message was accompanied by a video of Davidson hugging Jerrod Carmichael.
"When I got the show I was 20 years old and I had no idea what I was doing," Davidson wrote. "I still don't but especially back then. I wasn't really a sketch performer I was just a stand up. I knew I could never keep up or go toe to toe with a Kenan Thompson or a Kate McKinnon so I was super scared at figuring out what I could possibly bring to or do for such a historic, respected show and platform."
Davidson first joined "Saturday Night Live" in 2014 at the age of 20, becoming one of the youngest cast members in the show's history.
In a 2020 interview with "CBS Sunday Morning," Davidson said that he wasn't even aware SNL was still on the air when he was asked to audition. But the comedian and actor credited the variety show for making his career.
"I started getting taken seriously as a comic," Davidson said. "It really changed my life."
On Saturday, Davidson wrote that he owes "Lorne Michaels and everyone at SNL my life. I'm so grateful and I wouldn't be here without them. I appreciate you guys always having my back and sticking up for me even when that wasn't the popular opinion."
Davidson also addressed his imminent departure during Saturday's Weekend Update segment, the sketch on which he made his debut. He again thanked the show and its creator Lorne Michaels for "memories that will last a lifetime." Davidson also joked about Michaels' reaction to his quick, but brief engagement to singer Ariana Grande.
Davidson met his current girlfriend, aspiring lawyer and mogul Kim Kardashian, when she hosted the long-running sketch show in 2021, according to the most recent season of "The Kardashians."
In addition to his role on SNL, Davidson has also starred in several feature films, including "Set It Off," "The King of Staten Island," and the A24 horror film "Bodies, Bodies, Bodies."
Davidson is still set to executive produce and star in a new Peacock streaming show called "Bupkis," which a spokesperson for the streaming service described as "a heightened, fictionalized version of Pete Davidson's real life" that combines "grounded storytelling with absurd elements from the unfiltered and completely original worldview for which Pete is well known."