Pete Davidson

Peter Michael Davidson, born November 16, 1993, is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He rose to prominence as a cast member on the NBC late-night sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, where he starred for eight seasons from 2014 to 2022. Beyond his sketch comedy work, Davidson has established a career featuring stand-up comedy specials, feature films, and television projects.

Davidson was born in the Staten Island borough of New York City to Amy and Scott Matthew Davidson. His father was a New York City firefighter who died in service during the September 11 attacks in 2001. Davidson experienced trauma following his father's death and struggled with personal difficulties as a youth. He attended several high schools in New York, graduating from Xaverian High School in 2011. He briefly enrolled at St. Francis College before dropping out after one semester to pursue comedy full-time, having first tried stand-up at age sixteen at a Staten Island bowling alley.

In the early 2010s, Davidson began his television career with appearances on comedy shows such as Failosophy, Guy Code, Gotham Comedy Live, Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He joined Saturday Night Live in September 2014 for its 40th season premiere at the age of 20, becoming one of the show's youngest cast members and the first born in the 1990s. During his eight seasons on the show, he performed in numerous sketches, including introducing recurring characters like Chad, and earned recognition for drawing on his personal struggles in his comedic performances.

Parallel to his television work, Davidson developed a career in film and streaming television. He starred in and executive produced the 2019 comedy film Big Time Adolescence. In 2020, he co-wrote and starred in the semi-autobiographical comedy-drama film The King of Staten Island, directed by Judd Apatow. He also created, co-wrote, and starred in the Peacock series Bupkis in 2023. His additional acting credits include roles in The Suicide Squad, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Meet Cute, and voice work for animated characters in films like Marmaduke.

Davidson has also built a substantial catalog of stand-up comedy. He released three major comedy specials: Pete Davidson: SMD in 2016, Pete Davidson: Alive from New York in 2020, and Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli in 2024. In 2019, he toured alongside comedian John Mulaney for a series of shows titled Sundays with Pete & John. His comedy style is noted for being heavily autobiographical, drawing directly from his personal life, relationships, health, and family history.

In 2023, Davidson appeared in several major film franchises, including minor and voice roles in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Fast X, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Over the course of his career, he has received various recognitions, including being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016 and receiving nominations at the 46th People's Choice Awards for his work in film and stand-up comedy. In January 2026, he began hosting a weekly program on Netflix titled The Pete Davidson Show.