Chad leaves Studio 8H.
Pete Davidson, who joined “Saturday Night Live” as a relative unknown and has become a superstar whose presence graces the gossip pages daily, is expected to leave “Saturday Night Live” after this season’s finale airs. weekend, according to someone familiar with the matter. He’s one of a handful of longtime cast members, including Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon, whose tenure on the show has come under scrutiny at the end of recent seasons. Davidson joined the show in 2014 as a featured player at the age of 20, one of the youngest cast members in the program’s 47 seasons on air.
NBC declined to make “SNL” producers available for comment.
His departure will likely bring new attention to the long-running program, which typically uses its summer hiatus to recalibrate its cast of players and contributors. As more and more viewers migrate to streaming services to watch their favorite scripted dramas and comedies on demand, “SNL” has taken on new importance for NBC. Once relegated to airing after late local news in a network of timeslots that network executives didn’t consider paramount, “SNL” now airs live across the United States at the same time, meaning that it airs in prime time in some parts of the country. “Saturday Night Live” in the 2020-2021 season was the most-watched entertainment program on television among viewers aged 18 to 49, advertisers’ favorite demographic.
Early in his tenure, Davidson largely only appeared in “Weekend Update” segments, where he often delivered self-deprecating stand-up routines. But he developed a wider range during his time on “SNL.” In recent seasons, he’s done celebrity impressions like former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and actor Rami Malek, and has increasingly been involved in many of the show’s taped sketches. He often appears as the recurring character Chad, an apathetic man who remains oblivious even in the face of dire or fantastical circumstances, such as being hunted down by a killer or participating in a SpaceX mission.
Davidson’s time on the show has also brought its distractions, with gossip fascinated by his dating history. During his “SNL” run, Davidson got engaged to singer Ariana Grande, though the relationship eventually broke down. Most recently, Davidson hooked up with reality TV star and mega-influencer Kim Kardashian, who hosted the show this season.
In a famous incident in 2018, Davidson performed an “update” routine on Dan Crenshaw, then a candidate for a seat in the US Congress. Davidson poked fun at Crenshaw’s appearance, even though Crenshaw lost an eye while serving on a US SEAL team in Afghanistan. Davidson would return to “Update” to apologize after his remarks drew criticism. Davidson also starred in the 2020 comedy, “The King of Staten Island,” directed by Judd Apatow, which is largely based on Davidson’s life story.
It was this biography that attracted fans to the young actor. Davidson was born in Staten Island and lost his father, a New York firefighter, who was killed in the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Davidson has been open about his mental health issues and the effect of the death of his father. had about his childhood.
His growing list of projects has become more evident in recent weeks. In February, he missed a few shows of this “SNL” season to participate in the production of “The Home”, a horror film directed by James DeMonaco.
Although Davidson is leaving the program, he is expected to continue a relationship with Broadway Video, the production company responsible for “Saturday Night Live.” Davidson is a star, co-writer and executive producer of the new streaming series “Bupkis,” which is set to appear on NBCUniversal’s Peacock. Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer and Erin David of Broadway Video will also executive produce the series, which is distributed by Universal Television. On Monday, NBC announced that Edie Falco will play Davidson’s character’s mother on the show.
During an appearance at NBCUniversal’s initial presentation earlier this week, Davidson made a few jokes about the series and the streaming hub it will appear on. “I can’t believe we’re going to be on Peacock, the streamer who’s responsible for so many great shows like ‘MacGruber’ and ‘The Office’ reruns,” he joked, adding deadpan: ” I “I’m here to finally get the media to start paying attention to me.
Watch Pete Davidson’s best “SNL” sketches and appearances here.