The stand-up comedian, who attended the 2018 funeral with his then-fiancee Ariana Grande, makes the revelation in his new Netflix special, 'Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli'.
- January 10, 2024
AceShowbiz - Pete Davidson delivered his speech at Aretha Franklin's funeral back in 2018 while high on ketamine. The comedian made the revelation in his new Netflix special, "Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli", which premiered on Tuesday, January 9.
"It's embarrassing when you're not on ketamine anymore, though," the 30-year-old star said. "I was out and about like that. That's not cool, you know? I was at funerals like that. That's f**ked up, right? I was at Aretha Franklin's funeral like that."
The "Saturday Night Live" alum joked that while the late singer will "never know" he was high, he added, "Still, it's not the point."
"It's embarrassing. I'm so high, I thought it would be a good idea to go up to her family and go, 'Hey, I'm just here to pay my R-E-S-P-E-C-T-S,' " he recalled about the funeral at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, Michigan.
The "Bupkis" actor, who attended the funeral with his then-fiancee Ariana Grande, joked that if Aretha was present, she likely would've asked him, "Hey, who are you? And what the f**k are you doing at my funeral?"
Ariana also paid tribute to the late singer with her rendition of Aretha's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". The 76-year-old musician died following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
It's not the first time Pete got candid about using ketamine. "The King of Staten Island" star revealed during his and John Mulaney's "Jon, John & Pete" tour in September 2023 that he had been taking the drug for four years.
"The Suicide Squad" star has been to rehab several times, and back in June 2023 he went back to a mental health facility after struggling with borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Later in July, it was reported that Pete was placed under a diversion program, which allows for eligible defendants to skip jail time if they complete treatment and education classes, following reckless driving charge. A source claimed at the time, "Pete regularly goes to rehab for 'tune ups' and to take a mental break, so that's what's happening."
