Pete addresses Israel, Gaza in ‘SNL’: ‘Sometimes comedy is really the only way forward through tragedy’
Star comic and ‘Saturday Night Live’ host Pete Davidson discussed “the horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza.”
Davidson said: “And I know what you’re thinking, Who better to comment on it than Pete Davidson? Well, in a lot of ways, I am a good person to talk about because when I was seven years old, my dad was killed in a terrorist attack. So I know something about what that’s like.”
“I saw so many terrible pictures this week. Children suffering, Israeli children and Palestinian children. And it took me back to a really horrible, horrible place. No one in this world deserves to suffer like that, especially not kids.
“After my dad died, my mom tried pretty much everything she could do to cheer me up. I remember one day when I was eight, she got me what she thought was a Disney movie. But it was actually the Eddie Murphy stand up special ‘Delirious.’ And we played it in the car on the way home. And when she heard the things Eddie Murphy was saying, she tried to take it away. But then she noticed something.”
“For the first time in a long time, I was laughing again. I don’t understand that. I really don’t and I never will. But sometimes comedy is really the only way forward through tragedy. You know, my heart is with everyone whose lives have been destroyed this week. But tonight, I’m gonna do what I’ve always done in the face of tragedy, and that’s try to be funny,” reports Variety.
After Davidson’s opening monologue, the first sketch of the night took on Taylor Swift/NFL mania, via a parody of Fox’s NFL Sunday team. As the anchors tried to outdo each other with their Swift fandom, the sketch ended with a cameo by Travis Kelce himself — the Kansas City Chiefs tight end at the center of the brouhaha.
Davidson had been scheduled to host the show last season, before the strike forced ‘SNL’ to go dark due to the WGA strike. Ice Spice is this week’s musical guest. Next up, Bad Bunny will host and perform on October 21.
This marks Davidson’s first time back on ‘SNL’ since he departed as a cast member in 2022. Davidson spent eight seasons as a cast member, but this is his first time as the show’s guest host.