On Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, Pete Davidson has a recurring bit called 'First Impressions.' The 25-year-old cracks jokes about politicians' appearances, and it's meant to be funny, not mean-spirited. For example, he said former Attorney General Jeff Sessions looked like "Dobby from Harry Potter wished to be a real boy."
However, Pete created controversy last November, when he mocked Texas Representative.-elect, Republican Dan Crenshaw. The former Navy SEAL lost his right eye in a 2012 bomb blast while serving his third combat tour in Afghanistan. When a photo of Crenshaw with an eye patch appeared on screen, Pete said he looked like "a hitman from a porno." But the really offensive part came afterward: "I’m sorry. I know he lost his eye in war, or whatever," he added, with a shrug and a smile. "Whatever."
Pete's cavalier comments about a military veteran's injury received a backlash. The following week, he apologized on camera, a rarity for Saturday Night Live. "I made a joke about Lieutenant Commander Dan Crenshaw, and on behalf of the show and myself, I apologize," said Davidson. "I mean this from the bottom of my heart. It was a poor choice of words. The man is a war hero, and he deserves all the respect in the world."
But before the segment got too serious, Crenshaw himself appeared, and roasted a photo of blue-haired Pete. "He looks like if the meth from Breaking Bad was a person," joked Crenshaw. "He looks like a Troll doll with a tapeworm. Pete looks like Martin Short in The Santa Clause 3." But the funniest part may have been when Crenshaw's phone rang. His ringtone? A song by Ariana Grande, Pete Davidson's ex-fiancée. (Burn!) The segment was a nice combination of funny and sincere, ending with Pete telling Crenshaw, "You're a good man."
One month later, Pete appears to be struggling with depression. The comedian has been outspoken about his mental health issues in the past, revealing he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and describing his experience with online bullies. However, last Saturday, he shared an alarming Instagram post, where he seemed suicidal:
"I really don't want to be on this earth anymore," wrote Pete. "I'm doing my best to stay here for you but I actually don't know how much longer I can last. All I've ever tried to do was help people. Just remember I told you so."
The worrying post went viral, freaking out the SNL star's fans, friends and ex-fiancée, Ariana Grande. Soon afterward, he deleted his Instagram account, and an NYPD spokesman confirmed that officers met up with Pete and he was safe. Later that night, he briefly appeared on Saturday Night Live, introducing musical guests Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus.
During an appearance on KPRC2, Texas Rep.-elect Dan Crenshaw revealed that he called Pete to offer support after that alarming Instagram post:
"[Pete's post] was pretty devastating. You don’t want to see somebody in that kind of position, to the point where they’re actually putting out a cry for help on social media. That’s not a good place to be in. I talked to him personally yesterday, and I talked to him for a little bit about it.
"We don’t go back very far. We're not good friends. But I think he appreciated hearing from me. And what I told him was this - everybody has a purpose in this world, God put you here for a reason, but it’s your job to find that purpose, and you should live that way - seeking out that purpose, not expecting it to be given to you by anybody else. Know that you have value, and you do more good than you realize for people."
See? You have a lot of friends, Meth From Breaking Bad That Became A Person!
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, contact Your Life Your Voice on 1-800-448-3000, or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline on 1-800-273-8255.
