The Rise of Pete Davidson -

By Katie Van Lew

The popular comedy show “Saturday Night Live” is notorious for launching and giving a platform to some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Since its origin in 1975, SNL has opened the door to some of the most successful names in acting and comedy.

Adam Sandler. Bill Hader. Chris Farley. Eddie Murphy. Tina Fey. And now, Pete Davidson.

Born in Staten Island, Davidson grew up next to one of the biggest opportunities for comedy. During his emergence onto the comedy scene, Davidson first worked on MTV shows such as Guy Code and Wild ‘n Out. After his growing popularity and recognition, Davidson eventually landed roles in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

While Davidson was working on the 2015 film, Trainwreck, alongside Amy Schumer and Bill Hader, Hader spoke with Lorne Michaels on behalf, recommending that Davidson join the cast of SNL.

And the rest, for Davidson, is history.

Known for his dark and rather vulgar comedic flow, Davidson has cultivated his routine around playing on his trauma and twisting his own self-deprecation into a stand-up special. He is special in that his comedy style, as suggested by comedian Conan O’Brien, is more representative of the modern comedian, who uses personal hardships or edgy content to elicit laughs.

Since his rise on SNL in 2015, Davidson has added a darker while simultaneously vivacious youthfulness to the comedy show that makes it a more relatable experience to younger audiences. Although Davidson contributes in regular skits written by the writers, Davidson’s own unique excellence in comedy truly shines through in his stand-up specials. Amidst this, Davidson has been asked to perform at many Comedy Central Roasts including that of Justin Bieber and Rob Lowe.

In 2018, Davidson’s acting career began gaining more traction, as he began appearing in minor roles in Set It Up (2018), and What Men Want (2019). More recently, Davidson has starred in bigger films, with lead roles in Big Time Adolescence (2019), The Dirt (2019), and The King of Staten Island (2020).

Amidst his emerging acting and comedy career, Davidson had the opportunity to walk in Alexander Wang’s Collection1 2020 show, alongside supermodels such as Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber.

After years of crude and all too personal jokes, Davidson was eventually granted his own Netflix stand-up special, Pete Davidson: Alive From New York (2020) where he runs through his routine of intertwining his personal life with thoughts and subjects that people think of but never speak about. His humour stems in his fearlessness to cultivate humour from everyday thoughts that one quickly dismisses; yet Davidson is the type of person to run with these jokes… and keep running. He creates a balance of awkwardness and authenticity that allows the audience to resonate with his sets.

More recently, Davidson has pivoted towards a more serious role in his acting career. On the twentieth anniversary of Joey Ramone’s death, Netflix announced that Davidson will be starring as the frontman for the Ramones, Joey Ramone, in the Netflix biopic I Slept With Joey Ramone.

“I Slept With Joey Ramone is a great rock anthem that will make an equally great rock biopic, set apart by a universal story of family,” said director Jason Orley, who had previously worked with Davidson on Big Time Adolescence (2019) and his Netflix stand-up special in 2020. “Pete is perfect for this role and we’re excited he and Jason will be bringing this icon of rock to life and thrilled to be collaborating once again with our friends at Netflix.”

Although a release date for the Ramones biopic has not been announced, it is undeniable that Davidson has come a long way from minor roles in MTV specials, to embodying a punk rock legend.