Just a Joke? Pete Davidson Felt Like a ‘Loser’ on ‘SNL’ for His Dating Drama

Over it. Pete Davidson is aware of the attention surrounding his romantic relationships — but being the “butt of the joke” isn’t always easy. 

“I’m in my 20’s and I’ve dated people. And for some reason, that’s very crazy and interesting to people. I don’t think it’s interesting,” Davidson, 29, said during a Thursday, March 30, episode of the “Real Ones With Jon Berthnal” podcast. “I’ve been in show business for, like, half my life almost — for 14 or 15 years and on a national TV show. In 12 years I’ve dated 10 people. I don’t think that’s that crazy, but to some people, that’s very interesting. That became all anyone would talk about.” 

The Set It Up star shared that it’s “confusing” to see people so invested in his love life, especially because he isn’t on any social media platforms. 

“I’m not, like, flexing, you know what I mean? And these people that I’ve dated, I met them at work. I wasn’t in anyone’s DMs, no one was in mine. I worked at one of the five Hollywood epicenters of where you meet people and that’s how it happened,” he said, adding that he doesn’t “have control” over getting his photo taken in public.  

“Suddenly you’re in this zeitgeist and that has nothing to do with the work. And that’s a really shitty feeling,” he explained. “I became more known before the work was there, but I was always working.”

Davidson has often made headlines for his romantic endeavors. In 2018, the King of Staten Island star got engaged to Ariana Grande just a few weeks after they started dating. When the duo broke off their engagement in October 2018, the Victorious alum, 29, wrote the hit song “Thank U, Next,” which referenced Davidson and their whirlwind relationship.

After being linked to various A-listers including Margaret Qualley, Kaia Gerber and Phoebe Dynevor, Davidson was spotted spending time with Kim Kardashian after the reality star, 42, hosted Saturday Night Live. The pair were together for nine months before pulling the plug on their relationship in August 2022.  

Since his split from the Skims founder, the Dirt actor has dated Emily Ratajkwoski and most recently, Chase Sui Wonders, whom he was first spotted with in December 2022. 

While Davidson told host Jon Bernthal on Thursday that he’s “cool” with his “late-night friends” occasionally making jokes about his romantic life, he often felt like a “loser” when being poked fun at during his time on SNL. (The Suicide Squad actor starred on the NBC sketch show for eight seasons from 2014 to 2022.)

“When it’s your own show, and I’ll be sitting in the back watching the cold open and [it’s] topical political humor or whatever in the culture, and they’re making fun of you and you gotta walk out and do a sketch next and hit your mark — the show just made fun of you, so why are they going to laugh at you? They just dogged you.” 

The Bodies, Bodies, Bodies star clarified that he “loves” his former costars and owes his “life” to SNL creator Lorne Michaels, before noting that it was “f—king confusing because it’s the nature of entertainment.” 

“It was a really difficult thing to do. You feel insecure. You feel like a small person,” he shared. 

Davidson, who was been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in 2017, hasn’t shied away from discussing his mental health struggles over the years. In December 2018, he got candid about how he was negatively affected by bullying following his breakup with Grande. 

“I’ve been getting online bullied and in public by people for 9 months. I’ve spoken about BPD and being suicidal publicly only in the hopes that it will help bring awareness and help kids like myself who don’t want to be on this earth,” he wrote via a heartfelt Instagram post at the time. “I just want you guys to know. No matter how hard the internet or anyone tries to make me kill myself. I won’t.”