Pete Davidson is leaving Saturday Night Live, along with at least Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney. The group departure is going to leave a giant hole both returning and new cast members are going to need to try and fill, but that’s a problem for Lorne Michaels and company to figure out this summer. Last night was about saying goodbye to both the cast members and to Season 47. It was about saying goodbye the right way, and Pete Davidson, of course, did that in typical Pete Davidson fashion.
The comedian appeared during Weekend Update and got about four minutes to tell jokes and reflect on his time at Studio 8H. As always, what he delivered was a perfect balance of funny jokes, self-deprecating shots and warm appreciation for the opportunity. You can check out his goodbye below, which had the crowd laughing and muttering about a particularly out of left field joke about the Chris Rock and Will Smith Oscars slap…
The audience’s typical response to a joke is either to laugh or to remain silent. Anytime you get the gasp or some conversation noises, you know the joke just did something. That was definitely the case here. We’ve all been absolutely slapped across the face with Chris Rock and Will Smith jokes over the past month, but most of those were within an expected context. I think everyone just assumed we were getting very SNL specific jokes, and when they were blindsided with a reference to the slap, it caused a lot of shock.
And there was plenty of shock during Pete Davidson’s SNL tenure. He never shied away from touchy subject matter or jokes that went a few steps over the line. He did comedy his way, which was at times a bit of an unusual fit amidst other cast members doing more traditional sketch comedy. But something about it worked, and he quickly grew into a fan favorite cast member.
Davidson talked about that uneasy fit in a goodbye letter he posted on social media ahead of last night’s final episode. You can read it below and watch the accompanying video which shows Pete hugging fellow comedian Jerrod Carmichael below…
At least parts of Davidson’s post-Saturday Night Live career seem pretty clear. He’s going to be starring in and writing a comedy for Peacock called Bupkis, alongside Edie Falco, as well as a movie in Australia. He’ll also, assumedly, be able to spend more time with Kim Kardashian and probably throw in some stand-up dates. Hopefully we’ll get to see him pop up in some more movies and TV shows too, as it’s always a delight to see him match his unique energy with other projects.
Saturday Night Live will return next year for Season 48 with some new cast members and a whole lot of available airtime for people to step into and turn into stars.
