All hail the king of Staten Island! Pete Davidson has had his fair share of highs and lows through the years — from professional successes to broken engagements.
In the early 2010s, the comedian made quite a name for himself in the entertainment industry after starring on Guy Code in 2013 and joining Saturday Night Live as one of the longtime series’ youngest cast members at age 20 in 2014.
Throughout his career on the sketch comedy show and beyond, Davidson has worked hard to bring conversations about mental health to light. In September 2017, he revealed he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder during an appearance on the “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast.
“I’ve been a pothead forever. Around October [or] September last year, I started having these mental breakdowns where I would, like, freak out and then not remember what happened after. Blind rage,” he noted on the show. “I never really did any drugs, so I was, like, ‘I’m gonna try to go to rehab. Maybe that’ll be helpful.’ So I go and get off weed. They told me, they’re like, ‘You might be bipolar.’ … One of my psychiatrists [diagnosed me].”
The following month, he talked about his diagnosis on SNL.
“As some of you know, I was recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, a form of depression,” he shared in an October 2017 episode. “First of all, if you think you’re depressed, see a doctor and talk with him about medication and also, be healthy. Eating right and exercise can make a huge difference.”
As he grows with and learns from his own personal struggles, Davidson’s public success has continued. In May 2020, his semi-autobiographical movie, The King of Staten Island, was released. Starring and cowritten by the stand-up comedian, the film earned him a People’s Choice Award nomination for the Comedy Movie Star of 2020.
Outside of his career, the Suicide Squad actor is also known for his star-studded love life, from his two-year relationship with Cazzie David to his whirlwind engagement to — and split from — Ariana Grande.
In April 2021, Us Weekly confirmed the writer was dating Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor.
“They’re happy with each other. He makes her laugh. Pete is a good guy and definitely a charmer,” a source shared at the time. “He’s easy-going and fun to be around.”
Four months later, however, the duo called it quits. “The distance put a strain on the relationship and it made it hard to maintain,” an insider told Us in August 2021, adding that the pair “had a great time while they were together.”
Though Davidson had previously implied he might leave SNL after its 46th season, he returned for another round in October 2021. “I can’t believe I’m back,” he said during the season 47 premiere that month.
Weeks later, his personal life made headlines again when he was spotted hanging out with Kim Kardashian ahead of Halloween. In November 2021, the duo confirmed their relationship when they were photographed holding hands in Palm Springs, California.
Scroll down to look back at Davidson’s career highlights and personal life:
Davidson was 7 years old when his father, a firefighter, died in the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center in NYC on September 11, 2001. Bobby Bank/WireImage
Davidson sent Us into a frenzy in 2013 when he starred on Guy Code and shared his insight on all things love, sex and popular culture. Bobby Bank/WireImage
In 2014, the New York native joined the cast of Saturday Night Live and has been candid with fans about his love life, mental health battle. Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Davidson earned his first big-screen role in 2015’s Trainwreck and went on to star in 2018’s Set it Up. NONE
In 2015, Davidson casually dated Girl Code star Carly Aquilino, according to Complex. Lester Cohen/WireImage; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for MTV
Davidson went on to date Cazzie David on and off from May 2016 to early 2018. He gushed about the Eighty-Sixed creator in September 2017, telling Entertainment Tonight that he’s “very lucky” to be with someone who is “very supportive.” Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Davidson has been open about his mental health battle after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in October 2017. “First of all, if you think you’re depressed, see a doctor and talk with him about medication and also, be happy,” he said on Saturday Night Live after receiving his diagnosis. “Eating right and exercise can make a huge difference.” Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post / MEGA
The actor got engaged to Ariana Grande in June 2018 weeks after they started dating. The duo split in October but during their speedy love affair, they shared an apartment, a pet pig and Grande even named a song after Davidson. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for MTV)
The Brooklyn Nine-Nine alum has more than 40 tattoos and each one has a special meaning, from honoring his late father to celebrating his short-lived romance with Grande. Robert Kamau/GC Images
Davidson headed into 2019 as a single man. While he was been spotted out with women and on a dating app, he put his career first and performed several comedy shows in the new year. James Devaney/Getty Images
The actor and John Mulaney have maintained a close friendship over the years. Jason DeCrow/AP/Shutterstock
Davidson and Machine Gun Kelly proved they're the closest pals when they passed Vanity Fair's lie detector test with flying colors in March 2019. John Salangsang/Variety/Shutterstock
The Dirt star was first linked with Kate Beckinsale when they were spotted getting cozy at a Golden Globes afterparty in January 2018."She was following him around a bit and waiting for him,” an eyewitness told Us exclusively at the time. “People approached her and she didn’t want to talk to anyone else." The pair split in April 2019. JD Images/Shutterstock
Davidson began dating actress Margaret Qualley in August 2019. “They’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months and Margaret is really excited about him,” an insider told Us at the time. The pair split in October 2019, but a source told Us they "remain friends.” AMA/MEGA
The comedian returned to Saturday Night Live on October 12, 2019, after not appearing on the show for two episodes. Davidson was absent because he was filming The Suicide Squad in Atlanta. Will Heath/NBC
Us confirmed that the Saturday Night Live star and Kaia Gerber were officially an item in November 2019. They were first seen on a date together in October in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. “They were having lunch and laughing together as they ate,” an insider revealed at the time. “Pete appeared happy to be with Kaia, and she seemed like she was into Pete, though there was no PDA.” SteveSands/NewYorkNewswire/MEGA; Justin/INSTARimages.com
Davidson’s semi-autobiographical movie, The King of Staten Island, was released in May 2020. Mary Cybulski/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
The end of an era! Davidson revealed in April 2021 that he’d moved out of his mom’s basement. “I’m fully out. I got a pad,” he said during a Zoom call that was uploaded to TikTok. MEGA
After plenty of rumors regarding his love life swirled, Us confirmed that the Suicide Squad star was dating Phoebe Dynevor in April 2021. The pair first sparked romance gossip after being spotted hanging out in the U.K. one month earlier. In August 2021, however, the duo called it quits. Paul Marriott/Shutterstock
The Trainwreck actor hinted at being ready to move on from SNL after the show’s 46th season. “I don’t know what the plan is. Everything’s kind of up in the air right now just depending on scheduling,” he told Gold Derby in June 2021. Kristina Bumphrey/StarPix/Shutterstock
Though Davidson previously hinted that he might not return for his eighth season of SNL, fans were delighted to see his name in the credits during the season 47 premiere in October 2021. During his appearance on “Weekend Update,” the Meet Cute star paid tribute to the late Norm Macdonald, who died two weeks before the episode aired. Will Heath/NBC
In October 2021, Davidson's dating life again became the subject of intense interest after he was photographed hanging out with Kardashian amid her split from Kanye West. Days later, the pair had dinner together two nights in a row. Within weeks, the twosome confirmed their relationship with some light PDA. “The past few years of Kim’s life have been super intense a lot of the time, so this is a real positive transition for her,” an insider told Us of the Skims founder's romance with the actor in November 2021. “She’s learning to move past day-to-day stresses and focus on the fun and sexy things.” Shutterstock (2)
As Kardashian moved on with Davidson, West took aim at his estranged wife’s boyfriend, publicly slamming the comic on several occasions in February 2022. The rapper even posted screenshots of alleged texts he received from the couple, including one in which she accused West of “creating a dangerous and scary environment” that would lead someone to “hurt Pete.”Amid the feud, Davidson rejoined Instagram in February 2022. Some fans speculated that he threw subtle shade at West by sharing a clip from the 1982 movie The King of Comedy in his account bio. However, shortly after the apparent snub made headlines, Davidson deactivated his Instagram account again. Shutterstock (2)
Davidson confirmed his variety show exit in May 2022 amid the season 47 finale. “I never imagined this would be my life. Look at me when I started here: Back then I was just, like, a skinny kid and no one knew what race I was. Now, everyone knows I’m white because I became hugely successful while barely showing up to work,” he quipped during the “Weekend Update” segment at the time. “I appreciate Saturday Night Live always having my back. Thank you, Lorne [Michaels], 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 memories that will last a lifetime.” Will Heath/NBC
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