Truth behind infamous SNL joke

Pete Davidson is done apologising for his ill-fated joke about Texas politician Dan Crenshaw. In his new Netflix special Alive From New York, Davidson addresses the controversy head-on, telling his audience that he “didn’t think (he) did anything wrong” by mocking Crenshaw, a former navy SEAL who lost his eye in Afghanistan. 

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“I kind of got forced to apologise,” said the SNL star, adding that he received death threats for the Weekend Update joke. “People were threatening to shoot me in the face.”

About halfway into Alive From New York, Davidson turns to the Crenshaw controversy, which he said began as a “very harmless Saturday Night Live joke” that he thought little about.

“I got in trouble last year because I was making some jokes,” said Davidson. “I didn’t think I did anything wrong. It was like words that were twisted so that a guy could be famous.”

In November 2018, Davidson came under fire for comparing Crenshaw, who wears an eye patch due to his injury, to “a hit man in a porno movie”.

Added Davidson at the time, “I’m sorry, I know he lost his eye in war, or whatever.” The joke quickly spiralled into a massive controversy, with conservative pundits like Meghan McCain and Rick Scott blasting him for the “offensive” and “classless” move.

The following week, Crenshaw appeared on Weekend Update and the two buried the hatchet. “If any good came of this, it’s that for one day, the left and the right came together to agree on something – that I’m a d**k,” said Davidson.

 

“I said ‘whatever’, and people are like, ‘You hate America!’” recalled Davidson in the Netflix special.

“Like, no! I just didn’t want to be incorrect about how he lost his eye. Is that a f***ing crime? He could have lost his eye in war, or whatever. I don’t know how he lost his eye … It was an expression! I was trying to be mindful.”

Davidson explained that because he doesn’t use social media, he didn’t have a chance to “explain” his side of things until now. “I kind of got forced to apologise because people were threatening to shoot me in the face,” said Davidson, adding that it was his “roommate” (as in, his mum) who ultimately convinced him to take action.

“My roommate thought that I should apologise so that I didn’t get shot in the face.”

The SNL star concluded by insisting that he “did not make that guy win” the 2018 midterm, as Crenshaw is “a Republican with an eye patch in Texas,” and therefore was “a lock” anyway.

“I did not do anything for that guy. The only thing I did do, which I am guilty of and I apologised for, is I did make that guy famous, and a household name for no reason,” said the actor and comedian.

“I did what Ariana Grande did for me. Yes, I sucked his d**k at SNL.”

Pete Davidson: Alive From New York is now streaming on Netflix.

This article originally appeared in Decider and was reproduced with permission