NEED TO KNOW
- Pete Davidson is opening up about feeling “sexualized” by the public
- Davidson said friends and family noticed how “sad” and “embarrassed” he was at the time
- The actor is currently in a relationship with Elsie Hewitt, and they are expecting their first child together
Pete Davidson revealed that he felt uncomfortable when he was sexualized by the public following his high-profile relationship with ex-fiancée Ariana Grande.
In a Wednesday, Aug. 31, episode of The Breakfast Club, Davidson, 31, reflected on the attention he received throughout his early career years on Saturday Night Live, specifically for his romantic life. Davidson recalled to Charlamagne Tha God, “I brought a lot of pop culture into the show, like I made it [a] sort of tabloidly, trendy thing unintentionally.”
“Also, I was embarrassed by it because… no one talked about any work I was doing,” he shared. “They were just like, ‘Oh, that’s the f— stick.’ And that hurt so much.”
He added that SNL crew members, friends and family noticed how “sad” and “embarrassed” he was about the attention. “No one was outrightly mean by any means,” Davidson said.
Charlamagne, 47, chimed in, initially appearing confused at Davidson’s discomfort. “You was banging a lot of hot chicks and you had a 10-inch penis,” he said.
Davidson sighed and laughed, “You know, on paper, that sounds great.”
The comedian elaborated, “It’s embarrassing, ’cause, you know… It’s Hollywood. Everybody f—- everyone.” He questioned, “Why are they focusing on me?” adding that he thinks the viral attention was because he is “not Glen Powell handsome.”
“I’m just like this dude that tells d— jokes and is a drug addict,” Davidson quipped.
Davidson went on to say, “I don’t want to victimize myself in any way because I’m cool, but the sexualization of me — if that was a girl, people would be like, there would be a march for it… Seriously. You’re just talking about my d— all day.”
When asked where “big d— energy” started, Davidson replied, “Uh it was I think it was like the New York Times or something when I started dating someone that I guess they considered out of my league, which I think everyone is out of my league, but you know, uh they were like, ‘This guy must have big d— energy.’ And then someone confirmed it.”
The comedian also recalled how the spotlight on his personal life made navigating relationships challenging.
“It just got to a point where I was… I got really tired of my whole career just being like my personal life,” he said. “And living through that is it’s sort of traumatic. Like not to be like lame, but like it’s traumatic to live in your own crap all the time.”
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In 2018, Grande answered a fan on X who asked “how long Pete is,” referring to the Sweetener track “Pete Davidson.”
While the fan quickly clarified they meant to ask how long Grande’s Sweetener interlude dedicated to Davidson is, Grande joked, “Like 10 inches? …oh f—…i mean…like a lil over a minute.” Grande and Davidson were in a relationship from May 2018 to November 2018.
Davidson, who is currently expecting his first child with Elsie Hewitt, addressed the attention — and all of the “big d— energy” memes — that came with Grande’s 10-inch joke back in 2018. “I don’t hate it,” he said at the time, in an interview with Variety, adding, “I’m just really, really happy, and if that means I have big d— energy, then sick.”
The comedian shared his unfiltered take on the internet in the same interview, calling it “evil” and saying, “I don’t like how it affects me.”
“I don’t like how the internet is a place where anybody can s— on you and make anything up,” he said, adding, “I’ve worked really hard to get my brain to this place.”
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