Saturday Night Live is a grind, and it’s not an easy show to make. However, the cast members who figure it out and stand out in the series, become some of the biggest names in comedy. Pete Davidson is one of those who figured out his spot on the show and was loved for it. Before that happened though, he asked Lorne Michaels to fire him after his first season, and the advice the SNL mastermind gave him in response would have sent me running away.
With SNL celebrating its 50th anniversary on the 2025 TV schedule, they’re pulling back the curtain and giving folks a sneak peek into how the show works. In the first episode of SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night, Pete Davidson candidly spoke about his first year on the sketch comedy series and how hard it was to work on, explaining:
After my first year, I actually called for a meeting with Lorne. 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.’ 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.
Davidson was on the show from 2014 to 2022, and clearly, he found his footing and outlasted the three or four seasons Michaels told him to grind it out. However, that couldn’t have been easy.
If I were working any job where my boss told me it’d take three or four years to really find my way, I’d probably run away. Plus, on top of all that, it’s well-known how hard it is to get a successful sketch to air and consistently play a big role in the program. Then, to make matters even harder, the comedian has also talked about how low SNL’s starting salary is as well as the difficulty of auditioning, because no one laughs during it.
Talk about hard! However, persistence and determination are always key, and the King of Staten Island star took his boss’s advice and ran with it. Eventually, the trials and tribulations paid off big time, and folks started to adore him for his Weekend Update bits, digital shorts and more. In fact, when he returned to host, his “I’m Just Pete” sketch was the most viewed pre-taped bit of the year.
After a successful run on SNL, Davidson has gone on to make movies and TV shows that people love, too. Along with his co-stars who have come and gone from Studio 8H, it seems clear that if you can make it on Saturday Night Live, you can make it big in TV and film too. Plus, being on this program allowed the actor to develop a close and supportive relationship with Michaels, who he deeply admires. So, while sticking it out for three or four seasons sounds like a nightmare, I’d assume that the payoff was well worth it!
Now, the Bupkis star is taking the time to look back and celebrate the show that helped him break big, as SNL continues its 50th season with new hosts and musical guests and prepares for its anniversary celebration in February. Here’s hoping the comedian comes back for all this too, so we can see more Update bits and digital shorts like the ones that helped cement him as a Saturday Night Live legend.
To go back and watch Pete Davidson’s tenure on SNL as well as SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night, all you need is a Peacock subscription. Then, make sure to also check out the return of Season 50 on Saturday, January 18 at 11:30 p.m. ET and SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Sunday, February 16 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC or Peacock.
