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When Pete Davidson joined “Saturday Night Live” in 2014, becoming one of the sketch show’s youngest (and most inked) cast members ever, he was the exact breath of fresh air needed to propel the show forward and cater to a younger generation — one of the defining attributes that has allowed Lorne Michaels’ NBC series to survive for more than 50 years.
Within 30 Rock, his self-deprecating humor and seemingly effortless stage presence won him coveted and highly competitive airtime, and also the affection of Ariana Grande, with whom his relationship in 2018 brought him pop star levels of fame. Their public engagement and then breakup, followed by intense tabloid coverage, brought to the surface the debilitating mental health struggles he was dealing with behind the scenes.
In the public eye, his comedic success is often eclipsed by his series of high-profile romantic relationships — Kate Beckinsale, Margaret Qualley, Kaia Gerber, Phoebe Dynevor, Kim Kardashian — which are often fleeting and intense. But as taxing as the scrutiny on his personal life can be, it’s shown a younger crop of young men that being funny, emotionally vulnerable and authentic can be rewarded in dating
“‘Rizz’ is just being shamelessly who you are,” Davidson tells Variety over a Zoom call. “I think that’s attractive now — not following the pack and kind of doing your own thing. We live in a doom scrolling world where we’re all trying to be what we think people want us to be and that’s not a healthy way to live.”
Since 2020, following multiple rehab stints, he’s maintained a carefully calibrated life to help with his mental health. He’s not on social media, is sober and is in an arduous process of removing his hundreds of tattoos that he says remind him of a “sad person that was very unsure.”
“I used to be a drug addict and I was a sad person, and I felt ugly and that I needed to be covered up,” he says. “So I’m just removing them and starting fresh, because that’s what I think works best for me and for my brain. When I look in the mirror, I don’t want the reminder of ‘Oh yeah, you were a fucking drug addict. Like, that’s why you have SpongeBob smoking a joint on your back.’”
Since starting the removal process during the pandemic, his arms, hands and neck are now nearly entirely ink-free. But since each tattoo takes 10-12 sessions to remove — which can total up to 60 weeks when working around his hectic schedule — he says it’ll likely be another 10 years, and hundreds of thousands more dollars, until he’s completely done with the process, which he describes as “pretty horrible.”
“It’s like putting your arm on a grill and burning off a layer,” he says. “It sucks, I’m not gonna lie.”
But for him it’s part of a long healing journey that he’s passionate about sharing with his fans — particularly, a younger generation that, faced with social media and online dating, he says is more vulnerable than ever.
“I really feel bad for this crop of people because I have anxiety and when I grew up it was just flip phones and it was pretty awesome,” he says. “But the kids today, they don’t even have a fucking shot. They don’t even have a shot. So I just hope it changes and enough people revert backwards a little bit.”
To do his part, he partnered with the fragrance brand Axe on a social takeover during which he’ll give live advice to “help young guys build their confidence and master the art of rizz.” On May 1 at 4 p.m. ET, Davidson will take over the Axe Instagram page and host an “AXE Me Anything,’ a Reddit-style AMA focused on confidence and underdog wins.
As part of the campaign, which coincides with new additions to the brand’s Fine Fragrance Collection, Davidson will also headline Axe’s “Short Kings” commercial, premiering the week of May 12. In the spot, Davidson gives a pep talk to a young man insecure about a situationship before spritzing him with his favorite Axe scent.
Ahead of his Axe campaign, Davidson talked to Variety about the perils of online dating and social media, his worries for today’s young men and his arduous tattoo removal process:
What advice would you give young men dating today?
I think social media and the internet and the phone in general makes everything really difficult and can cause a lot of anxiety and get you doing bad. We’re not supposed to see everyone’s shit all day. It used to be that someone found out something and then you either call on your house phone or you meet up and be like, ‘Hey, did you hear about this?’ And now you just have this thing in your pocket all day that will make you feel bad. So my advice would just be to just try and not let social media or this fictitious world that we’re all trying to have a profile on affect how you behave in everyday life.
There’s this barrier now where people are uncomfortable and have more anxiety, which is only natural with today’s technology. I think you just need to be nice to yourself and give yourself the benefit. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves because of the internet. Like, I know exactly what Mark Wahlberg is doing all day. I don’t need to know that. That’s not a slam at him, it’s just an example. Like, we’re not supposed to know everything all the time. That’s what dating is — to get to know someone and fall in love. And that’s what’s so beautiful about it. So I think when it comes to dating, it should be more prehistoric and not on the phone or Instagram.
I think this is particularly true with dating apps. Dating has become gamified in a way that’s made it harder for this younger generation to form true connections. How do you hope young men navigate this new hurdle?
Dating apps are just so dismissive. It’s just like, ‘No. Yes. No.’ That’s so rude. Like, you don’t even know this fucking person, you know? So I really feel bad for this crop of people because I have anxiety and when I grew up it was just flip phones and it was pretty awesome. But the kids today, they don’t even have a fucking shot. They don’t even have a shot. So I just hope it changes and enough people revert backwards a little bit.
This campaign is for Axe, which you’ve used since middle school. Fragrance can be strongly tied to memory and nostalgia. Do you have any early memories with Axe?
I mean in high school [Axe] was a shower. I went to an all-boys school and it could be awkward when you’re using the gym and showering in a school when you’re growing up. It could be tough. So I always had Axe and would just spray it all over and then shower when I got home. It reminds me of growing up and playing basketball outside and having a ‘normal life’ My fragrance was Phoenix. It’s the blue one. I just vividly remember going to CVS with my mom every two to three weeks and getting new bottles.
I hate to say this but it’s kind of how Prime [sports drinks] are now where you collect it. It was cool to have like four of them on your dresser. There was just something reassuring about it and you knew that even if you smell like shit, you’ll be fine if you have it. So it just really brings me back to my childhood.
You surprised fans with your decision to remove all of your tattoos, which has been a big part of your aesthetic and persona while in the public eye. How has that process been, and why did you decide remove them all?
I started during COVID in 2020 and it’s gonna take me another 10 years. My arms are pretty much gone, and my hands and neck are gone. But I still have to do my torso and back. It was really just because I wasn’t taking care of myself. I used to be a drug addict and I was a sad person, and I felt ugly and that I needed to be covered up. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with tattoos, but mine, when I look at them, I remember a sad person that was very unsure. So I’m just removing them and starting fresh, because that’s what I think works best for me and for my brain. When I look in the mirror, I don’t want the reminder of ‘Oh yeah, you were a fucking drug addict. Like, that’s why you have SpongeBob smoking a joint on your back.’ They should have meaning. Not just that I was high watching ‘Game of Thrones.’
And I think if you could invest in anything — I know the stock market’s gone — but tattoo removal will be the biggest business in the next five to 10 years. And then they’ll be cool again in 10 years, right? But right now, it’s out. I mean, bell bottoms are back for fucks sake.
What has the removal process been like?
Well I have to plan it in between work because it’s a six-week healing process each time you get one removed. So each tattoo is 10 to 12 sessions. That’s 60 weeks of your life right there on just one tattoo to remove. So, it’s pretty horrible. It’s like putting your arm on a grill and burning off a layer, and then you gotta do maintenance and let it heal properly. And it’s pretty tough. It sucks, I’m not gonna lie.
How much money will it cost you?
It’s a pretty uncomfortable amount of money to disclose, but I think one of the tabloids already leaked it. I’ve already spent like 200K and I’m like 30% done. So, like, it’s gonna suck. Now that I’ve said [the tattoo remover’s] name, though, he’s a little nicer, for sure.
You and Colin Jost bought in the Staten Island Ferry in 2022 with the plans to convert it into a floating venue. What are the updates on the renovation?
Colin and I bought this thing two years ago. We have a floor done out of the four and we’re holding events on the first floor. And we are partnering with a bunch of people to get our plan going, which is kind of a secret, but we’re going to have a couple restaurants and a nice bar and we’re gonna maintain the integrity of the ferry and have the old ferry stuff still be there and just be a little refurbished. People don’t understand this is like a 5-10 year project. People are like ‘I guess nothing’s happening with it.’ We don’t know anything about boats, so we’re all figuring it out and it’s been really fun. We’re having a good time and it’s in a good place and we have a couple of fun events planned for the summer.
You weren’t as involved in the ‘SNL50’ special as some fans might have expected. Is there any specific reason?
I think I was very lucky to get my own own video. There’s 1,000 cast members and hundreds that are more popular and did better work than I did while I was there. I was just very grateful to be in a sketch and have a video and even just be invited. It was very surreal to see.
I know I was there for almost a decade but even when I came back and hosted, I was like, ‘Wow, I do know all these guys.’ I know Lorne, I know most of the cast. It just hits different when you see, like, Meryl Streep doing a sketch. And I also know it was a bunch of people who were in nothing so I’m just very grateful. It was a really surreal moment, and I’m happy that it went well for Lorne and just for the history and the integrity of the institution.
You and Lorne have such a sweet relationship, which was touched on a bit in his recent biography.
Yeah, he’s like my dad kind of. He’s really, really sweet, and has always been above and beyond understanding of my life, and just supportive in all the right ways. I’m very lucky.
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