Pete Davidson, the 31-year-old king of chaotic comedy, just dropped a bombshell confession: he once asked to be fired from Saturday Night Live. Yes, you read that right. Pete basically tried to quit by getting kicked out, and honestly, that feels very on-brand for him.
In the docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (because even SNL needs a documentary these days), Pete spilled the tea about how he marched into show creator Lorne Michaelsโ office after his rookie season with what can only be described as the boldest resignation pitch in history.
โAfter my first year, I actually called for a meeting with Lorne,โ Pete revealed, adding, โand I was like, โPlease fire me.โโ Imagine the audacity. When Lorne, probably sipping tea out of a mug labeled Showbiz Dad, asked why, Pete gave the most Pete Davidson answer ever: โI donโt belong here. Everybodyโs so talented and they donโt want to be my friend.โ
Cue the collective awww from the audience, followed by a head shake because, come on, Pete.
Apparently, Pete felt like the odd kid in the comedy cafeteria. But Lorne, the sage of late-night sketch TV, wasnโt buying it. Instead of handing Pete his comedy walking papers, Lorne hit him with a truth bomb: โYou donโt figure it out โtil your third or fourth yearโฆ Itโs just gonna suck for three or four years.โ
Translation: Youโre stuck with us, kid. Suffer now, slay later.
Turns out, Lorne wasnโt wrong. Pete stuck around from 2014 to 2022, going from the baby of the cast to that lovable, slightly unhinged big brother who shows up late to Thanksgiving dinner. He even made a surprise return last November for a sketch with his pal John Mulaney because apparently, once youโre part of the SNL family, you never really leave.
And if that wasnโt enough bromance, Pete also showed up to cheer on John during the opening night of his Broadway play, All In: Comedy About Love. Itโs nice to see the guy who once thought no one wanted to be his friend now casually supporting his buddies like itโs no big deal.
So, moral of the story? If you ever feel like an imposter, take a page from Peteโs playbook: complain to the boss, stick it out, and maybe youโll end up making surprise cameos while wearing sweatpants.
