Pete Davidson has opened up about one of the darkest parts of his life. It is the day he learned his dad had died in the 9/11 terror attacks.
Pete was just seven when his father, firefighter Scott Davidson, ran into the Marriott World Trade Center to help people escape. He was last seen rushing upstairs just moments before the building was destroyed as the Twin Towers collapsed.
For Pete, the way he found out about his dad’s death has haunted him ever since.
Heartbreaking Effects Pete Davidson’s Father’s 9/11 Death Still Has on Him
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“My dad told me he was going to pick me up on 9/11,” Pete said. “I got picked up by my mom. She didn’t tell me what was going on for like three days. She kept telling me dad’s at work, I had no idea. My mom’s like, ‘You’re just grounded, you’re not allowed to watch TV.’”
At the time, Pete thought he’d done something wrong. “I was like, ‘What? I didn’t do anything.’ And then one night I turn on the TV and I saw my dad on TV. They’re like, ‘These are all the fireman who are dead.’”
He shared the story on Jon Bernthal’s Real Ones podcast. He described how devastating and confusing those weeks were for his family. “There was just some sort of hope and it was just up and down and nobody knew the right way to deal with it,” he said.
His mom was only 30 years old when it happened, the same age Pete is now. Looking back, he said, “That’s why, as I get older, I’m like, ‘Man, my mom was awesome.’”
The loss has influenced the way Pete sees people and relationships. “Dad says he’s going to pick you up, he doesn’t, so for life I don’t believe anyone,” he admitted. “I’m trying to learn how to believe people and Hollywood isn’t the best place to learn that skill. I went from traumatic life to high school traumatic life, because Hollywood’s like high school.”
Over the years, Pete has joked about his dad on stage, but says it’s not about pity. “It’s like, I made two jokes about my dad in a span of like 15 years. To act like I’m like this, ‘Feel bad for me,’ it’s such b——- and it makes me feel so small and s—–. I’m trying to share little jokes here and there about him because I like to keep that memory alive. My dad was a great dude. I get defensive, that’s my family.”
