Pete Davidson, tall, damaged and, for the moment, heavily tattooed, is the unexpectedly hot leading man for our time.
Self-deprecating, usually stoned and admittedly mentally ill, he loves his mother and unapologetically embraces his outer-borough roots, trashed psyche and sickly body while in demand by a plethora of smoking women of all ages. Against all odds, he’s a surprisingly gifted actor and hilarious comedian who’s described himself in a standup routine as looking like a “crack baby.” A well-paid one.
Pete, 27, is riding his excessively modest schtick to star in the upcoming biopic about the late Joey Ramone, another tall, misunderstood and chronically ill soul who rose from Queens to the heights of New York City’s punk rock scene before dying well before his time. He was a superstar who in his lifetime never had a monster record, good health or lasting love, but was adored by fans who empathized with his struggles. That’s what I call typecasting.
But it is Pete’s busy and chaotic love life that’s drawing even more attention than his acting roles or drug use, most recently with Kim Kardashian West who, at 41, is old enough to have babysat him. For a skinny guy who lost his firefighter dad on 9/11, suffers from Crohn’s disease and, until recently, lived in his mom’s basement on Staten Island, his appeal to desirable, famous and accomplished women is off the charts. Way to go, Pete!
How does he do it?
It’s not brain surgery. Pete Davidson is both open and funny about the many challenges he faces, mental and physical. He’s experienced enough sickness and tragedy for several lifetimes, but he asks for no pity, no special treatment. He’s an open book.
As a result, regular Joes and Janes don’t see him as a spoiled star, but as one of their own. And if he can succeed, so can they. He gives hope to ordinary people.
He’s also a genuinely nice guy.
He’s close to his widowed mom, Amy, and loyal to his friends in show business and out, as well as to the many women who’ve found him irresistible. His secret really isn’t so complicated. He told Paper magazine in 2019, “My love language, when I’m in a relationship, is I treat the person I’m with like a princess.
“I try and go as above and beyond as possible,” he said, “because that’s what you’re supposed to do? If you’re in a relationship with someone, you’re just supposed to make that person feel as special as possible.”
Sigh.
Pete, who rose to fame as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” was spotted over Halloween weekend holding hands on a roller coaster at a California theme park with Kim K, another frequently underestimated celebrity who proved her comedic chops by hosting “SNL.” The pair had dinner together earlier this week at a restaurant on Staten Island (imagine Kim in the borough!) and met for a group dinner Wednesday night at Zero Bond, Manhattan’s A-list private members’ club. According to reports, they’re just friends. Well, so far.
It’s not Pete’s first time at the rodeo. He’s been linked to desirable women at least since comic actress Carly Aquilino, now 30, around 2015, later reuniting with her in Pete’s 2020 semi-autobiographical movie, “The King of Staten Island.” He was with Cazzie David, now 27, the daughter of comedy legend Larry David, from 2016 to 2018, and in
2018 was famously engaged to pop superstar Ariana Grande, now 28, who passive-aggressively dissed Pete by declaring his manhood super-size. (He responded in a Netflix standup bit that “She did that so that every girl that sees my d— for the rest of my life is disappointed.”)
In 2019, he dated actress Kate Beckinsale, now 48, and Margaret Qualley, the now-27-year-old actress and daughter of star Andie McDowell. From 2019 to ’20, he was involved with Kaia Gerber, the actress/model daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber. She was just 18 at the time. And earlier this year, he dated “Bridgerton” star Phoebe Dynevor, 26.
Pete Davidson may seem an unlikely Romeo. He’s not overly handsome or cool. He’s in the painful process of having his mess of tattoos — more than 100 in all — removed with lasers to help him win acting roles. He’s a pothead.
And all this is why some of the world’s most attractive women just can’t get enough of him. In a world jammed with narcissists and poseurs, creeps and phonies, Pete is refreshingly real. He’s the star we need, right now.
