Pete Davidson has been turning heads since he started his career back in 2013! The star is known for a variety of talents but his fans and critics both have shown a lot of interest in his personal life as well. The comedian and former Saturday Night Live actor has made headlines for everything from his work to his love life and even his tattoos!
Who Is Pete Davidson?
It can seem like Pete Davidson managed to soar to fame in no time at all. So, if you aren’t fully familiar with his career, we can’t blame you.
The star began his career as a standup comedian but didn’t take too much time to land roles in front of the camera as well. Since then, he’s taken on a variety of roles, and not all of them as comedic as you might expect. He even has some experience behind the camera as a producer and writer as well. Of course, fans and critics alike have also followed the celebrity‘s personal life — especially his love life.
Starting Standup
Davidson has worn a few hats over the course of his career but his earliest work is in a field he’s become pretty famous for — comedy. The comedian was only 16 years old when he performed his first stand-up routine.
No one starts with a Netflix special, though. Instead, he started in his hometown of Staten Island, New York. It was actually on a dare from some friends that Davidson would take to the stage for the first time in a bowling alley.
Appearing on Failosophy
Pete Davidson‘s early career focused a lot on two channels. This included MTV — or, more specifically, MTV2 — and Comedy Central.
One of his first television roles was on a series called Failosophy on MTV. Davidson first appeared on the third episode of the show in 2013. The show also featured other famous faces such as Hasan Minaj, Brooke Van Poppelen, and Jessimae Peluso. This was only the start of Davidson’s career and his time on this particular network.
Next Up: Guy Code
Another MTV2 show was featured in the comedian’s early career. This time, Davidson would appear for a longer stint for this television appearance.
Guy Code was a comedic reality series about, well, living as a guy. MTV2 later added a spinoff called Girl Code as a partner show. Davidson would show up in the third season of Guy Code, kicking off the first four episodes before departing from the show.
Comedy Central’s Gotham Comedy Live
Once Pete Davidson started his stint on Comedy Central, he would kick it off with an appearance on Gotham Comedy Live. The show focused on the work of stand-up comedians, putting Davidson right in his element.
This time, though, we’re not referring to Batman‘s Gotham but rather performances from the Gotham Comedy Club located in New York City. The comedian appeared on an episode of the show’s second season.
Joining Wild N’ Out
This is one of the MTV roles that Davidson is more recognizable for. It also marked the comedian’s return to MTV2.
At the time, Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out was a fairly popular show on MTV. Davidson would make an extended appearance compared to his earlier MTV2 roles. This time, he was kicking off his first of six appearances on Nick Cannon’s show.
A Cameo in Brooklyn Nine-Nine
It didn’t take long for Davidson to join a comedy cast for a show either. Before the future SNL star would head to 30 Rock, he’d join an episode of another popular show.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine has made itself stand out as a comedic take on the usual procedural show. Plus, it’s seen its fair share of comedic actors like Andy Samberg and Chelsea Peretti. Pete Davidson appeared as Steven in 2013, a begrudging member of Amy and Rosa’s outreach program in the episode.
Almost Another Role
2014 was a big year for Pete Davidson‘s career. Unfortunately, not every single role panned out for the new star. Davidson has since shared that he was supposed to appear on a show called Sober Companion.
No less, he was set to appear on the pilot of the new Fox show. As sometimes happens, though, it just wasn’t meant to be and the role didn’t make it to air. This was only a year after Fox showcased the young comedian in their Night of Comedy.
An Important Meeting
Sometimes, they say who you know really matters. That definitely helped out Pete Davidson when he met Bill Hader in 2014 on the set of a film.
Another one of Davidson’s early roles was in Trainwreck — which also featured another Saturday Night Live alum, Bill Hader. After meeting, it opened the door for Davidson to audition and Hader put in a good word with Lorne Michaels, longtime producer of the famous sketch comedy show.
Joining Saturday Night Live
Heading to 30 Rock to join the cast of Saturday Night Live is a step in many comedians’ journeys in Hollywood. Davidson’s audition was impressive enough to earn him a spot in the cast, too.
On September 27th, 2014, the comedian would join the ranks of Saturday Night Live for their 40th season and stand out as one of the youngest cast members the show had hired. Starring in skits with impressive guest stars like Norman Reedus and Dwayne Johnson, it didn’t take long for him to stand out as a cast member.
Pete Davidson and Carly Aquilino
Early in his time on SNL, the star’s love life would catch some fans’ eyes for the first time. From 2014 to 2015, Davidson dated Carly Aquilino.
Much like Davidson, Aquilino had worked on MTV2. In fact, she had even been on the partner show to Guy Code we mentioned earlier, Girl Code. The two weren’t as publicly serious as some of Davidson’s future relationships but Aquilino was quick to jump on Instagram and congratulate Davidson on his 2018 engagement.
Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber
There are a few shows and events that are particularly popular over at Comedy Central. One of them is the Comedy Central Roast.
Pete Davidson joined in on this comedic tradition when the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber took place in 2015. He appeared as one of the roastmasters and shared the stage with the likes of Snoop Dogg.
His First Stand-Up Special
It’s not uncommon for accomplished comedians to have a stand-up special or even a few as their career goes on. Davidson had his first special in 2016.
The special was titled Pete Davidson: SMD — which are his late father’s initials — although the comedian wasn’t above joking about the acronym. The special really highlighted the casual, dark, and self-deprecating comedy the comedian would become known for as he rose to greater fame.
A New Romance With Cazzie David
The next relationship that caught people’s eyes was Davidson’s two-year relationship with Cazzie David — daughter of another famous comedian, Larry David — from 2016 to 2018.
At the time, all Davidson told Complex was, “We’re not together anymore […] Very talented girl, she’ll be great and she’ll be fine.” Since their breakup, the two have confirmed that they’re still friends even if they weren’t compatible romantically.
“No One Asked for This”
In 2020, two years after their relationship ended, Cazzie David would speak on the relationship again in more depth but ultimately standing by the fact that the two are friends now.
David discussed this in a series of essays titled “No One Asked for This” among other matters. She discussed some of the personal problems each of the stars dealt with during their relationship. Surprising some, David also revealed the couple split only a day before she heard about his new relationship with Ariana Grande.
Start of His Relationship With Ariana Grande
One of Pete Davidson‘s most highly-publicized relationships was his whirlwind romance with pop singer Ariana Grande. A lot happened in this relationship but it actually only lasted five months in 2018.
The news broke that the two were dating very shortly after Davidson’s split from Cazzie David — and they were engaged only weeks after their relationship started. The lovebirds even shared a series of tattoos dedicated to one another.
Falling Fast
As quickly as Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande‘s romance started, it seemed to end just five short months later. Those months were rather action-packed, though!
It wasn’t long after this that he covered one of the tattoos he had gotten for Grande — a tattoo inspired by her album Positions. Much like she released songs like “Pete Davidson” during their relationship, Grande briefly mentioned the split in her music. In her song “Thank U, Next,” there’s the line, “Even almost got married, and for Pete, I’m so thankful.”
New Beginnings With Kate Beckinsale
Soon after his relationship with Ariana Grande came to a close, the comedian was spotted with none other than Underworld actress, Kate Beckinsale. However, it seemed the two were the subject of endless comments about their age difference.
Beckinsale is older than Davidson by about 20 years. Davidson later quipped that there were plenty of men in Hollywood dating younger women, pointing to the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Alec Baldwin.
Splitting From Beckinsale
The relationship between the actress and the comedian wasn’t meant to last, though. They would move on in April 2019 — only about four months after they initially started dating.
The two stayed rather quiet about the split but there were claims that the intense media attention on Davidson’s relationships was more than she was comfortable with. It does seem like there’s always someone keeping an eye on his love life!