“I was like, ‘Everybody here’s so talented and they don’t want to be my friend.’ I was a child,” Davidson recalled.
Saturday Night Live isn’t all jokes and laughs.
In the first episode of SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night, the Peacock special celebrating SNL’s 50 seasons on air, Pete Davidson candidly spoke about his first year on the sketch comedy series and how hard it was for him.
Davidson admitted that he was initially surprised to get hired for the show at age 20. After watching his audition tape back in in the special’s first episode, “Five Minutes,” the comedian said, “It’s wild to see the hope in one’s eye.”
When it came to his audition, Davidson said he was unsure of which direction to take it.
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“I called my buddy and I was like, ‘Should I do impressions?’ He’s like, ‘Can you?’ I was like, ‘No.’ He’s like, ‘Well then you should do stand up,'” the Bupkis star recalled.
But afterwards, he was left feeling unsure, wondering whether or not it was hit.
“Two times in six minutes someone went, ‘Ha!’ and I was like, ‘That was terrible, there’s no way I’m getting it,'” he remembered thinking.
Though he did end up landing the gig, that feeling of uncertainty didn’t leave Davidson until after his first season on the show.
“After my first year, I actually called for a meeting with Lorne [Michaels]. I was like, ‘Please fire me.’ He was like, ‘Why?’ and I was like, ‘I don’t belong here.’ I was like, ‘Everybody here’s so talented and they don’t want to be my friend.’ I was a child. I was like, ‘Nobody wants to be my friend,'” Davidson recalled. “He said, ‘You don’t figure it out until your third or fourth year.’ I was like, ‘What?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, it’s just gonna suck for like three or four years.’ I was like, ‘All right.’ And he was right.”
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The comedian, who was on the show from 2014 to 2022, eventually found his footing after taking Michaels’ advice to heart and became beloved for his various skits on the show, including his appearances on “Weekend Update” and his “I’m Just Pete” sketch.
“I appreciate SNL always having my back and allowing me to work on myself and grow,” Davidson said on his final episode in 2022. “Thank you to Lorne for never giving up on me or judging me even when everyone else was and for believing in me and allowing me to have a place that I could call home with memories that will last a lifetime.”
While he’s no longer a regular on the sketch comedy series, Davidson he has returned to the show multiple times to either host or make guest cameos in skits.
SNL50: The Anniversary Special is now streaming on Peacock.
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