Pete Davidson made a surprise return to “Saturday Night Live” with a big Weekend Update segment that covered Zoran Mamdani’s election victory in New York, Davidson’s controversial decision to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival and jokes about his old boss Lorne Michaels.
“If Lorne Michaels has taught us anything, it’s to never give up, even if everyone says it’s time and Tina Fey is ready to take over,” Davidson said, drawing scattered but passionate applause from the crowd and a rather creepy off-screen laugh from Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che.
Davidson’s patience came after Colin Jost introduced him to discuss the ferry they had bought together and their plans to turn it into a high-end entertainment venue. And because a recent New York Times article about it deemed the ship a “loss-making fiasco.”
“For anyone wondering why I had to do a show in Saudi Arabia, we’re losing millions of dollars on this ferry. I think that’s what the article says. You can’t spend $5 on a paywall when you have a baby on the way,” Davidson said. “I’m excited to become a father and bring an energy and enthusiasm to this show that I’ve never felt before.”
Mr. Davidson teased Staten Island, which was the only state among the five boroughs to vote with a majority for Mr. Mamdani’s main opponent, Andrew Cuomo, regarding Mr. Mandani, the next mayor of New York City.
“I have a message for all of you who didn’t vote for a new mayor. Hey, Staten Islanders! You promised to move out of New York if Mamdani wins, but New Jersey has too many warrants and Florida doesn’t have enough guns?” Davidson exclaimed, introducing a new photoshopped image of his ferry. “Welcome to New Staten Island! …You can’t call it the Titanic anymore, because the people on this ship actually love encountering ICE.”
Davidson was a cast member on SNL for eight seasons from 2014 to 2022.
