UPDATE: Pete Davidson appeared briefly on the December 15 Saturday Night Live, introducing the musical guests and appearing in a pre-taped sketch (as Rami Malek in the Oscars auditions).
Pete Davidson was trending all day Saturday after he posted a troubling Instagram note suggesting suicidal thoughts. He followed that by completely deleting his Instagram. Celebrities reached out with concerns, and the New York police said they would conduct a welfare check. One celeb -- actor Jon Cryer -- updated fans on Pete's location:
Saturday Night Live is airing the final episode of 2018 tonight, with Matt Damon as host, and Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus as musical guests. Multiple sources also told TMZ that Pete Davidson was at SNL on Saturday afternoon, rehearsing for that night's show. However, they added that he may have posted his dark Instagram note while he was at work or on the way to 30 Rock.
Speaking of the 30 Rock building, TMZ added that Pete Davidson's ex-fiancée Ariana Grande went there on Saturday to try and see Pete.
Even the New York Times weighed in, later adding that a police officer was sent to the Manhattan Saturday Night Live studio to check on Pete Davidson, and an NBC rep contacted the New York Police Department to say that Davidson was at work and was fine.
The story of how Pete Davidson got to this point is quite long, but the most recent recap starts with an Instagram post he shared two weeks ago on bullying and suicide. That appeared to be in reference to his split with Ariana Grande. He's named as an ex in her song "thank u, next," and he also referenced their breakup on Saturday Night Live. She seemed to think he was milking their breakup for relevance, but asked her fans to be kinder to Davidson after that post.
But apparently some fans have taken harsh shots at Pete Davidson, who has been open with his mental illness. Things took an ugly turn yesterday as part of Kanye West's epic tweet session against Drake. Ariana Grande made a lighthearted entry into that feud, promoting her new song release, and Kanye responded that he didn't appreciate it. He said all of the foolishness was weighing on his mental health.
Pete Davidson jumped with support of Kanye and being open with mental health concerns. Ariana said she meant no harm, and just wants everyone to be healthy and happy. Kanye said he was glad that they were all destigmatizing mental health.
During the whole Kanye/Drake/Ariana tweeting, Pete Davidson posted what read to many as a suicidal note on Instagram. He deleted the note, and apparently his entire Instagram, but it was saved and spread online:
So fans spent Saturday asking others to check on him. Pete Davidson does have a lot of fans out there, and so many called the NYPD that they sent officers to find him and do a welfare check.
Pete Davidson was just on Google's list of top-searched actors of 2018, most likely because of his engagement (then breakup) with Ariana Grande, as well as controversial jokes on Saturday Night Live. He's had a lot of ups and downs this year, but hopefully he sticks with us into 2019. It would be nice if 2019 only gave all of us ups, with no downs. We can dream.
Saturday Night Live airs Season 44, Episode 9 tonight (December 15) at 11:29 p.m. on NBC. At this point, the episode is hours away, so we'll have to wait and see what role Pete Davidson plays, and if he addresses his posts on air.
