Pete Davidson has left Saturday Night Live. Even though this most recent season was his last, it may seem like he had been gone for a while already. With so many projects in the queue, Pete was rarely in NY anymore and his appearances on the show over the past few seasons had been few and far between. However, he officially left the show after eight seasons in May. Starting as a featured player in Season 40, Pete was bumped up to the main cast for Season 42. He is one of the youngest cast members of all time and quickly gained notoriety. Pete is quite a polarizing figure, but his career (and his personal life) are on fire and he is going nowhere anytime soon. His latest project is the newest film from A24 entitled Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. The film will be opening on August 5th where Davidson will star along with Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby), and Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy).
Pete has been quite vocal over the years of his struggles with anxiety and depression stemming from losing his father at an early age on 9/11. He has had controversial sketches throughout the years, but his popularity rarely wanes. Regardless of whether Pete is your guy or not, it is hard to deny that he has been in some truly memorable sketches over the years and his absence will surely be felt as he wraps up his run. Here are 15 of those such sketches to remember his stint on SNL
Chad (Recurring)
Chad is one of Pete’s most famous characters. He has appeared 10 times in Pete’s tenure. Nothing seems to faze Chad as no matter what the situation, his patented response is inevitably, “Okay.” There are many Chad appearances to choose from, but the horror movie where he’s even annoying Ghost face (John Mulaney) in a spoof of the Scream franchise is one of his all-time greats. Chad is never rattled and man does that rattle the people around him.
Pete Davidson on Weekend Update (Recurring)
As odd as it may sound, Pete is best when he is just being Pete. He stops by Weekend Update every once in a while to just do some commentary on what’s going on in the world. He is very self-deprecating and self-aware, and his vulnerability is downright charming. Pete has tackled a lot of subjects, even some that got him in some serious trouble, but when he’s being this authentic, you can’t help but root for him. In this instance, he takes on the Met Gala and the absolute absurdity of himself being a guest.
Meet Cute (Season 42, Episode 13)
Pete and host Kristen Stewart have a meet-cute at a local coffee shop. The sparks fly, and they immediately make plans to meet up again. One problem, they exchanged zero information. As Kristen who miraculously knows exactly where and when the date is happening, happily prepares for her big date, Pete frantically searches the city for her with very little information. They somehow manage to find each other. Despite their strong chemistry, their communication skills clearly need some work!
Tucci Gang (Season 43, Episode 10)
As a spoof of "Gucci Gang" by Lil Pump, Pete plays the rapper along with host Sam Rockwell to do a tribute to their favorite character actor, Stanley Tucci. Rockwell portrays the beloved Tucci as Pete talks about Tucci’s amazing career. And yes, we even get a quick glimpse at the real Tucci towards the end. One thing Pete excels at is music videos featuring his rapping. This will not be the last mention of his rhyming skills on this list.
Trees (S44 E3)
The message seems simple enough in that we all have to care about the environment. Chris Redd plays a rapper who wants to inform everyone about the importance of trees. Davidson joins in through some miscommunication thinking it was a rap about another plant form. After a pause for clarity, Davidson comes back in and joins Redd in delivering the important message. Even “almost President Al Gore” would approve.
RBG Rap (S44 E6)
At the time it was a comedic salute for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and just how badass she was at shattering glass ceilings all over the place. Now, it serves as a sweet memorial after her passing from an innocent time when we could laugh about the Supreme Court. Once again, Chris Redd joins Pete to honor Ginsberg (Kate McKinnon) in a one-of-a-kind rap that can’t be missed.
Riverdale (Season 44, Episode 12)
As Lionel Rogers, a career corpse-playing actor, director Kenan Thompson is annoyed that Lionel insists on releasing real corpse noises during the Riverdale shoot. But the actors really dig the authenticity of his performance and beg the director to let him do his thing. Pete completely leans into this insane premise, and it is one of his best characters. The fantastic casting of Beck Bennett as Jughead and host Halsey as Betty from Riverdale help Pete succeed as this weird, but hilarious character.
GoT Tribute (S44 E21)
Pete is rapping about his favorite show Games of Thrones until Kenan and his pal Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) call him out on it. Once Pete realizes he can rap about his real favorite show, he admits that he doesn’t watch Game of Thrones. He is now able to come clean and rap about his real favorite show, Grace and Frankie. With the help of superfans, DJ Khaled and Paul Rudd, and even a quick cameo from the titular ladies themselves, Pete lovingly waxes poetic about his favorite Netflix comedy.
Stuck in the House (Season 45, Episode 17)
During the at-home episodes, this was one of the highlight sketches. Pete talks about how he’s tired of being stuck in the basement of his mom’s house and watching tv and endless hand sanitizer, something we could all relate to in the Spring of 2020. Pete’s mom is a guest star and there’s also another cameo from a pretty well-known SNL alum named Adam Sandler who throws in his own verse. Adam’s wife, daughters, and even Rob Schneider pop up as well, venting about their frustrations but also paying tribute to the first responders.
Stu (S46 E7)
Santa (Jason Bateman) is receiving disturbing fan mail from an obsessed fan named Stu. Pete spoofs “Stan” by Eminem (who also appears) as he incessantly writes letters to the North Pole and grows increasingly more frustrated when he receives no response. Kate McKinnon provides the Dido-esque vocals and there's also a priceless appearance by Bowen Yang as Elton John. Yet another entry in the Pete rap hall of fame.
Rap Roundtable (Season 46, Episode 8)
As rappers Guaplord & $mokecheddathaassgetta, Pete and host Timothée Chalamet appear on a rap talk show along with Queen Latifah (Punkie Johnson) and Quest Love. As Queen and Quest try to break down rap, and its history and importance in the culture, Pete and Chalamet continuously talk about how rap is really all about that “yeet.” And they are both very excited to meet Quest Love after recognizing him from Yo Gabba Gabba. But their take on rap may just push Quest over the edge. Chalamet is insanely comfortable and he and Pete play very well off each other.
Sportsmax (Season 46, Episode 8)
It’s rare to get two best sketches from one episode, but the chemistry between Chalamet and Pete was undeniable. In this sketch, they play two NY Jets correspondents on the new network Sportsmax, an offshoot of Newsmax. Chalamet and Pete challenge the newscasters in refusing to accept that the Jets had a losing record just because that’s what the news reported. The two again showcase their comradery as they have a blast as two obsessed Jets fans proving their point.
Jasmine and Aladdin (S47 E2)
In what proved to be quite the prophetic sketch, Pete stars alongside Kim Kardashian as the Disney couple. Aladdin decides to confess to Jasmine that he is a little intimidated by the thought of being with her as he thinks of himself as less than worthy of dating her. As Jasmine lists her ex-boyfriends, Aladdin feels even more intimidated. I have a sneaking suspicion that even though they seem like an odd pairing, they somehow will make sense and have the world rooting for them soon enough.
Walking in Staten (Season 47, Episode 7)
Pete has never been shy about telling the world he’s from Staten Island and sharing his love for it. In this musical tribute based on “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn, Pete sings about his love (while poking fun) at his hometown. Cohn guest stars along with rappers Method Man and Big Wet as they all sing about Staten Island. It's these musical parodies that Pete is so good at that will make him truly missed.
Short-Ass Movies (S47 E16)
In this rap short, Davidson addresses an issue that everyone seems to have, but no one says out loud; and that is the need for movies with shorter run times. He and Chris Redd are joined by Gunna and actor Simon Rex (Red Rocket) who seems to be a huge fan of the Ernest movie franchise.