There is truly nothing more exciting than discovering a celebrity is Jewish or has Jewish ancestry. Thus, we humbly present to you: Pete Davidson.
We’ll give you a second to take it all in.
Yes, it’s true, comic and pop culture king Pete Davidson has Jewish heritage!
Here are 18 things to know about Pete:
1. Pete was born on Staten Island to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother.
2. Pete was raised Catholic, though based on this bit he did on “Saturday Night Live,” it seems like he’s not the biggest fan of the Catholic Church:
3. Pete’s father, Scott Davidson, was a New York City firefighter who passed away on 9/11 when Pete was just 7 years old. In an obituary on SI Live, it seems that Scott connected to his Jewishness through sports.
“He played basketball in several leagues, including for the Fire Department and the Jewish Community Center League.”
4. Pete only recently discovered his Jewish ancestry! In 2017, during a radio interview on HOT 97, Pete said, “I’m just an Irish Jew… My mom was Irish, my dad was Jewish. I just found out, like this year. My mom just never told me.” He then goes on to explain how he took an ancestry DNA test which came back 48% Jewish.
The news was well-received, with Pete adding, “I always wanted to be Jewish.” Check out the conversation, which starts around 5:10 in this clip:
5. Following the death of his father, Pete began to experience mental illness.
“It was sad how sad he was growing up,” Pete’s mom, Amy, told The New York Times, also relating that as a child, he once pulled out all his hair.
In 2017 he received a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, which he discusses in this podcast with Marc Maron.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=614PXcsjYt4
6. Pete started performing stand-up at just 16 years old!
“I loved the power and the freedom — you gotta listen to what I have to say,” he told The New York Times. “It was the first time I felt that way.”
Check out this set from when he was just starting out:
Look at that BABY FACE!
7. Some of Pete’s comedy mentors are incredible Jewish comics like Amy Schumer and Dave Attell.
8. Pete’s comedic style can be described as dark and boundary-pushing.
“There’s nothing I won’t joke about, and I think it’s because of what happened to me,” Pete said in an interview. “That’s the worst thing that could ever happen to somebody. Now it’s just like, ‘Who cares, man?’”
9. One of Pete’s most important early roles was in Amy Schumer’s film “Trainwreck“:
Though the scene is very short, it introduced Pete to Bill Hader, who recommended that he audition for SNL.
Speaking of which…
10. Pete joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” in the show’s 40th season, which premiered on September 27, 2014. He was only 20 at the time, and became the first “SNL” cast member who was born in the 1990s.
In his seven seasons on the show, he’s had some hilarious bits, like his recurring character Chad:
And his appearances on “Weekend Update”:
11. Pete has a somewhat infamous dating history.
In 2015, he dated comedian Carly Aquilino. Then, from 2016-2018, he was with Cazzie David, daughter of Jewish comedian Larry David. Almost immediately after the David-Davidson break-up, Pete began his notable romance with pop-singer Ariana Grande, which, as we all know, ended in a broken engagement.
Since then, Pete has been linked to multiple famous women including Kate Beckinsale, Margaret Qualley, Kaia Gerber, possibly Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor and now Kim Kardashian maybe???
It seems like Pete might also be a fan of the phrase “thank u, next”
12. On a related note, Pete was a muse in the creation of the popular phrase “Big Dick Energy” or “BDE.”
In a since-deleted tweet, a Twitter user @babyvietcong wrote, “Pete davidson is 6’3 with dark circles, exudes big dick energy, looks evil but apparently is an angel, and loves his girl publicly the only thing wrong w him is that he’s a scorpio but anyway…..id married him within a month too”
Accompanied with this infamous picture:
Funnily enough, “BDE” has a totally different meaning for Jews, who use the phrase upon learning of someone’s death.
13. Pete has Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease.
You can watch him discuss his struggle with the disease in this interview from “The Howard Stern Show”:
14. Pete is known for his numerous tattoos, including one of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
He reportedly got the tattoo after performing this rap on SNL:
However, who knows if he’ll keep it!
Just attended a virtual Q&A with the Judd Apatow and the cast of THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND. And here's a scoop: Pete Davidson is in the process of getting all his tattoos removed! pic.twitter.com/LMejpRdn6x
— Mike McGranaghan (@AisleSeat) December 7, 2020
15. Pete co-wrote and starred in the film “The King of Staten Island,” a semi-autobiographical comedy film. (Side note: The film also features British Jewish actress Bel Powley!!)
Pete’s paternal grandfather, whom he adorably calls “Poppy,” had a brief cameo in the movie. Check out this interview where Pete and Poppy talk about the experience of making the movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GilC0ADYciI
Poppy has huge Jewish grandpa energy and we’re here for it.
16. “Alive From New York,” Pete’s Netflix special, also came out in 2020.
Here’s a clip in which he discusses hearing a story about his dad that he had never heard before:
17. Pete had a very interesting vacation experience with Lorne Michaels…
18. In 2021 it was announced that Pete will be playing Joey Ramone, the Jewish frontman of The Ramones, in a biopic he’s written for Netflix and STXfilms.
“Pete is perfect for this role and we’re excited he and Jason will be bringing this icon of rock to life and thrilled to be collaborating once again with our friends at Netflix,” said Adam Fogelson, STXfilms chairman.
