The 'King of Staten Island' actor, who joined the long-running NBC sketch show in 2014, bids farewell when sitting next to Colin Jost during his last 'Weekend Update'.
- May 22, 2022
AceShowbiz - Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon have confirmed their exits from "Saturday Night Live". The stand-up comedian and the "Ghostbusters" actress said goodbye to the audience in the season 47 finale, which aired on Saturday, May 21.
Pete, who previously announced his exit in "SNL" writer Dave Sirus' Instagram post, once again addressed his departure on his last "Weekend Update" with Colin Jost. When recalling his time on the show, the boyfriend of Kim Kardashian name-dropped her ex Kanye West as saying, "millions of people only watching to see if I bring up Kanye."
"The King of Staten Island" actor went on to bring up his past controversies regarding his comments about Dan Crenshaw. He also weighed in on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, stating, "I was simply making a joke about someone’s experience without realizing that the medical condition behind it was a sensitive issue, which is an SNL alumni tradition."
"On one hand, I don't like that people think they can just run up onstage and hit a comedian, but on another, it's how I know all my shows will now be sold out," he quipped, before moving on to thank "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels for giving him a chance for an audition.
Noting that Lorne initially didn't think he was right for the show, Pete recalled Lorne saying, "Let's screw this up together." He added, "And that's exactly what we did... And that's why people who don't think I deserve this job shouldn't hate me since we have so much in common. Like, if anything I should be inspire hope that literally anyone could be on 'Saturday Night Live.' "
Before concluding his message, Pete shared an emotional message. "I appreciate SNL always having my back and allowing me to work on myself and grow. Thank you to Lorne for never giving up on me or judging me, even when everyone else was, and for believing in me and allowing me to have a place that I could call home, with the memories that will last a lifetime. So, thank you guys," he said.
As for Kate, she bid farewell in the cold open where he reprised her character Ms. Rafferty. As she headed into a UFO to leave Earth, she said, "Well, Earth, I love you. Thanks for letting me stay a while. Live from New York, it's Saturday night."
Reports about Pete and Kate's departures emerged just a few days before the season 47 finale aired. It was also said that Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney were leaving "Saturday Night Live" as well. While Aidy already said her goodbye, Kyle made an understated exit.
