When Will Pete Davidson Leave SNL?

It’s no secret that comedian, Pete Davidson doesn’t love his job on NBC’s, Saturday Night Live. In Davidson’s interview on “Live Your Truth” with Charlamagne Tha God you can skip directly to 30:01 to hear Davidson speak directly about his time on SNL. While many starving artists and comedians in New York City would consider SNL a dream job, Davidson speaks openly about his distant relationship with his fellow cast members.

In a typical SNL episode, Davidson isn’t a common sight. In sketches (if he appears at all) Davidson often plays into the typecast “Chad,” a stereotypical, dim-witted white male character who tends to speak in one word sentences. That, or Davidson might provide some punchy commentary during the program’s regular Weekend Update segment.

However, on Saturday, April 11, 2020 – after a 5-week hiatus due to corona virus – the SNL cast delivered a special “At Home” episode in order to follow and promote social distancing regulations. Here, Davidson appeared in 3 sketches, 2 being completely his own music video creations: “Andre 2000” and “Drake.”

In the production of his “Drake” music video, Davidson skillfully hyped up Drake’s most iconic identifiers: feelings of romantic nostalgia, a puffy NorthFace jacket, and overall moodiness. “Andre 2000” is a masterful ode to Soundcloud rappers everywhere  – you know, the ones who wave dollar bills into the camera of all their homemade music videos – with a small shoutout to everyone facing debt, especially in the face of corona. The moment the cast of SNL was given the opportunity to create and present solo content, Davidson stole the show.

Smart, playful and observant, Davidson’s humor presents a timelessness that is deeply rooted in the present moment we are all living. Davidson already has multiple other projects in the works like The Suicide Squad and his own semi-autobiographical film, The King Of Staten Island. Whether or not SNL needs Davidson, it’s quite clear Davidson is ready to leave them whenever he chooses.

So, do you think Season 45 of Saturday Night Live will be Pete Davidson’s last? And if it is, will this be the last of John Mulaney’s musical marathon sketches, which Pete always opens?