Anyone who has followed Pete Davidson’s career almost definitely knows his tragic tale of losing a loved one during the attacks on September 11, 2001, as his late father Scott was one of the many NYC firefighters who died saving civilians on that horrific day. Davidson has touched on the effects of his father’s death in several interviews and comedy specials in the years since, and his semi-biographical film The King of State Island also had a connection to his late father. But while many of those comments were specifically about his late dad, the SNL alum has shared insight into how rough his childhood was in the aftermath of his father’s death, and then explained why his number one dream involves family.
Pete Davidson opened up about his upbringing with fellow comedian Kevin Hart on the latter's Peacock talk show Hart to Heart. The star of the upcoming comedy Meet Cute spoke with his usual candidness about what his life was like as the child of a 9/11 victim, pointing to why his situation wasn't so positive during those dark days.
My childhood was not great. My dad passed early. Single mom, new sister. [I] did not handle it great… I was a fucking nightmare.
Experiencing all those changes in addition to coping with a parent’s death would be traumatic for anyone, but losing his father as a result of a terrorist attack unfortunately made things even more chaotic for the younger Davidson. As the now-former SNL star spoke about that timeframe, his pain visibily surfaced in the moment. Thankfully, he’s been able to channel his hurt into his stand-up comedy routine, and has used that as a means of self-support.
Despite the trauma of his experience, the SNL alum revealed that he sees fatherhood as a number one dream for his own future.
I’m definitely a family guy… My favorite thing ever which I have yet to achieve is I want to have a kid. That’s like my dream… It would be so fun, dress up little dude. I’m so excited for that chapter. That’s kinda what I’m preparing for now is trying to be as good as a dude and develop and get better. So, when that happens, it’s easier.
It sounded like the comedian is all about putting in the work to make sure he can serve as the kind of father that he himself was robbed of so early. He seemed more than ready to be a father. Davidson connected with Hart as he spilled more about his childhood and future dad plans in the clip below from Hart to Heart, available to Peacock subscribers.
It appeared the actor might have more time to pursue his fatherhood dreams after exiting SNL following its Season 47 finale alongside others such as Kate McKinnon. The comedian’s relationship with Kim Kardashian would be the obvious way to build such a family, as the reality TV star told Ellen DeGeneres last year that she wasn’t done having children. While fatherhood is a priority, Davidson has already moved on from the NBC sketch show with multiple projects in the works, including the upcoming dark comedy Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, which will hit theaters on August 5.
If you want to watch Pete Davidson and Kevin Hart’s full conversation in full, you can watch the entire episode when Hart to Heart premieres on Peacock on July 14. Of course, Davidson will be missed by fans and former castmate Colin Jost (in particular) when Saturday Night Live Season 48 premieres this fall.
