Most SNL cast members are best known for characters or impersonations. Pete Davidson is an outlier. During his long stint there, his most famous character was himself. He’d whip out an excellent Rami Malek impersonation now and again (sometimes to his face). But his niche was talking mining comedy out of his personal problems, even when things got dark. During his return to the show, this time as host, he decided to send up his, by his own accounts, spotty record since splitting.
The pre-taped sketch begins with Davidson overhearing current SNL cast members expressing skepticism over his return.
“What’s Pete going to do? He only has like one character,” says Punkie Johnson
Andrew Dismukes feels the same way: “Why is he hosting again? He just left and it’s not like his show was a hit.”
This leaves Davidson inevitably despondent — despondent enough that he launches into a parody of one of the most popular break-out bits from Barbie (that almost didn’t make the cut). Yes, he launches into a parody of “I’m Just Ken” called “I’m Just Pete.”
“I’m Just Pete” teems with Davidson’s brutal self-deprecation. “No one cares about the work I do. I made a show with Joe Pesci too and no one streamed it but my mom,” he sings, referring to the Peacock show Bupkis.
Other parts of the song touch on him calling up Colin Jost while high and convincing him they should buy a boat, being accused by tabloids of having “butthole eyes” who looks” like a methhead on the street,” and getting into a very public beef with a guy whose name “I can’t say legally.” (That would be Kanye!)
At the same time, Davidson boasts, “I never sleep alone at night.” Why is he so successful with the ladies? Even he’s a little baffled. “Anyone else I’d be a three, but I guess I’m hot for dudes in comedy ‘cos it’s an ugly industry.”
But even that leaves Davidson with a mixed conclusion: “My dating life is not discrete, I generate tons of publicity for everything except my comedy.”
You can watch Davidson ape Ryan Gosling in the video above.