Pete Davidson is exiting Saturday Night Live, multiple outlets report. Tomorrow’s Season 47 finale, hosted by Natasha Lyonne and featuring Japanese Breakfast as the musical guest, is expected to be his last episode.
Update: Davidson confirmed his impending departure from SNL in an Instagram post shared by his friend, Dave Sirius. “I owe Lorne Michaels and everyone at SNL my life. Im so grateful and I wouldn’t be here without them,” Davidson wrote. “I appreciate you guys always having my back and sticking up for me even when that wasn’t the popular opinion. Thank you for always believing in me and sticking by my side even when it seemed comical. Thank you for teaching me life values, how to grow up and for giving me memories that will last a lifetime. SNL is my home. I’m so happy and sad about tonight’s show. For so many reasons I can’t explain.”
Davidson joined the sketch program in 2014 at only 20 years old, making him the fourth-youngest cast member behind Robert Downey Jr. (also 20), Eddie Murphy (19), and Anthony Michael Hall (17). A relative unknown at the time, Davidson has evolved into one of the biggest names among the current cast, in part because of breathless tabloid coverage of his romantic entanglements — from his short-lived engagement to Ariana Grande to his current partnership with Kim Kardashian — and in part because of an increasing presence in buzzworthy films, such as The King of Staten Island and The Suicide Squad.
Initially, Davidson mostly appeared in “Weekend Update” sketches, delivering jokes about living with his mom or masturbation. But in recent years he’s developed more range, with his oblivious recurring character Chad turning into a fan favorite, while he has been tapped for impressions of everyone from actor Rami Malek to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The 28-year-old’s increasingly busy schedule caused him to miss several episodes during Season 47, and things weren’t going to get easier from here. Last month Peacock picked up Bupkis, which stars Davidson as a “heightened, fictionalized” version of himself. The series is said to be inspired by Curb Your Enthusiasm, and SNL creator Lorne Michaels will serve as an executive producer.
Up next for Davidson is the A24 horror film Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, while the Netflix movie Marmaduke, in which he voices the titular oversized pooch, began streaming earlier this month. His popularity — and success with women — continue to befuddle the likes of Ted Cruz, while Britney Spears doesn’t know he exists. She’ll have time to learn; he may be leaving SNL, but he’s not going away any time soon.
Update: In addition to Davidson, several other longtime SNL cast members including Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney are also expected to leave following tomorrow night’s finale.