Pete Davidson: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Pete Davidson's comedy sits at the intersection of Staten Island working-class deadpan, the Sandler-era goofball tradition, and a confessional streak about grief and mental health that turned his father's death on 9/11 into material. This mix traces the stand-up lineage he absorbed in New York clubs, the borough that made him, and the film world that adopted him after SNL.

The Kynda mix for Pete Davidson

• Key Influence · Big Daddy by Adam Sandler (1999). Davidson has repeatedly named Sandler as the reason he wanted to do comedy, and the Sandler model — man-child vulnerability wrapped in juvenile jokes — is the template for his own screen persona. The two later became close, with Sandler hosting SNL during Davidson's tenure and writing him into projects; Davidson's grief-inflected slacker in The King of Staten Island is a direct descendant of this film's arrested-development sweetness.-reconstructed lineage.-
• Influencia Obscura · Strategic Grill Locations by Mitch Hedberg (1999). Hedberg's mumbled, hooded, one-liner-into-the-mic style is the unacknowledged DNA of Davidson's stage presence: low energy, apologetic, dependent on timing rather than volume. A fixture of the New York club circuit Davidson entered as a teenager, Hedberg also became shorthand there for brilliance undone by addiction, a frame Davidson's own club-era reputation constantly invited.
• Local Roots · Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan (1993). Shaolin — Staten Island — as a cultural identity was essentially invented by this record, released the year Davidson was born. His comedy constantly leans on the borough's status as New York's forgotten outer edge, the punchline island reachable only by ferry. Davidson has worn that provincial pride the way Wu-Tang did, and Method Man appears in The King of Staten Island playing a Staten Island fixture.
• Beyond the Medium · Man on the Moon: The End of Day by Kid Cudi (2009). Cudi's album made depression, medication and loneliness into mainstream pop text, and Davidson has been open about how much Cudi's music meant to him during his own diagnoses. The two became friends and collaborators, appearing together in Big Time Adolescence and Bodies Bodies Bodies. The confessional mental-health register Davidson brought to Weekend Update desk pieces borrows directly from this hip-hop lineage.
• Peer · Kid Gorgeous at Radio City by John Mulaney (2018). Mulaney is the SNL-adjacent peer whose precision is the opposite of Davidson's shrug, yet the two became genuinely close — Davidson was part of the group of comedians who staged Mulaney's intervention in 2020, an episode Mulaney has discussed publicly. Their parallel public reckonings with addiction and press scrutiny define the same stretch of New York comedy.
• From the Canon · The King of Staten Island by Pete Davidson (2020). Co-written by Davidson with Judd Apatow and Dave Sirus, this is the keystone work: a fictionalized account of a tattoo-obsessed stoner whose firefighter father died on the job, mirroring Davidson's own loss on 9/11. It converts the persona he built on Weekend Update into a feature-length argument, and it remains the clearest statement of his themes — arrested grief, borough identity, reluctant growth.
• Key Collaborator · Funny People by Judd Apatow (2009). Apatow co-wrote, produced and directed The King of Staten Island and executive produced Bupkis, making him Davidson's most consequential creative partner. This earlier film — Sandler as a comedian facing mortality, surrounded by real stand-ups — is Apatow's prototype for mining a comic's actual life, and the direct methodological ancestor of what he later built around Davidson.
• Legacy · Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain by Please Don't Destroy (2023). The SNL trio who inherited Davidson's slot as the show's young, self-aware, meta-famous presence — hired as writers in 2021 while Davidson was still a cast member, and fast-tracked to a feature the way he was. Their digital shorts extend the Davidson-era move of playing exaggerated versions of themselves rather than characters, with fame itself as the premise.

What influenced Pete Davidson

• Kid Cudi. The article reports Davidson's statement about the importance of Kid Cudi's music to him. (also via Man on the Moon: The End of Day) “In October 2016, he revealed on The Breakfast Club morning radio show that he struggled with suicidal thoughts when he was younger and that the music of Kid Cudi saved his life.” (Wikipedia)
• The Big Sick. The Big Sick (Kumail Nanjiani) — culture for Pete Davidson “He also produced the films The Cable Guy (1996), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Superbad (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Get Him to th…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Man on the Moon: The End of Day by Kid Cudi (2009). Man on the Moon: The End of Day (Kid Cudi) — culture for Pete Davidson “In October 2016, he revealed on The Breakfast Club morning radio show that he struggled with suicidal thoughts when he was younger and that the music of Kid Cudi saved his life.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Big Daddy by Adam Sandler (1999). Big Daddy (Adam Sandler) — titan for Pete Davidson (themoviedb.org)
• Tickets to My Downfall by Machine Gun Kelly (2020). Tickets to My Downfall (Machine Gun Kelly) — culture for Pete Davidson “Davidson collaborated with Machine Gun Kelly to write the sketch "A Message from the Count" for Kelly's album Hotel Diablo.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Raw by Eddie Murphy (1987). Raw (Eddie Murphy) — titan for Pete Davidson
• Strategic Grill Locations by Mitch Hedberg (1999). Strategic Grill Locations (Mitch Hedberg) — ghost for Pete Davidson
• Tommy Boy by Chris Farley (1995). Tommy Boy (Chris Farley) — titan for Pete Davidson
• Skanks for the Memories by Dave Attell (2003). Skanks for the Memories (Dave Attell) — ghost for Pete Davidson

Peers and kindred spirits

• Colin Jost. The article identifies Davidson and Jost as fellow SNL comedians. (also via A Very Punchable Face) “Watch Saturday Night Live Clip: Weekend Update: Pete Davidson Talks About His and Colin Jost’s Staten Island Ferry - NBC.com” (NBC)
• Judd Apatow. Apatow co-wrote The King of Staten Island with its star Pete Davidson. (also via Funny People) “In May 2020, The King of Staten Island was released, which Davidson both starred in and co-wrote with Judd Apatow , who also directed.” (Wikipedia)
• Ricky Velez. The article identifies Velez as a fellow comedian and Davidson's friend. (also via Here's Everything) “Even during filming for The King of Staten Island , Velez and Davidson would perform stand-up on weekends out of town.” (The Daily Beast)
• Justin Bieber. Davidson performed on the televised roast of Justin Bieber. “Pete Davidson, a comedian and SNL star only recently able to legally drink alcohol, was throwing jokes around at the Comedy Central Roast of fellow 21-year-old, Justin Bieber” (Bustle)
• Marc Maron. Davidson appeared on Marc Maron's podcast for an interview. “Pete tells Marc how he landed the show just shortly after graduating high school, how he survived a lonely upbringing on Staten Island watching Eddie Murphy's standup concerts” (WTF with Marc Maron Podcast)
• Theo Von. Davidson appeared on Theo Von's podcast. “Pete joins Theo in NYC to talk about the excitement of becoming a new dad, memories of his own father, and why "Frequency" with Dennis Quaid is one of the best movies ever.” (This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von)
• Dan Crenshaw. Davidson and Crenshaw appeared together on Weekend Update. “It's not all [that] often that I get to pitch a bunch of comedy ideas to one of the biggest shows in the world, so the Good Idea Fairy was all over the place.” (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Norman Reedus. Davidson and Reedus appeared together in a sketch. “Weekend Update: Pete Davidson on The Walking Dead Season Finale (ft. Norman Reedus) - SNL - YouTube” (Saturday Night Live)
• John Mulaney. Davidson and Mulaney were announced as joint performers on a comedy tour. (also via Kid Gorgeous at Radio City) “In January 2019, it was announced that Davidson would be touring with John Mulaney in New York , New Jersey , Pennsylvania , and Massachusetts for a limited series of comedy shows titled "Sundays with Pete & John".” (Wikipedia)
• Machine Gun Kelly. Davidson and Machine Gun Kelly wrote a sketch for Hotel Diablo. (also via Tickets to My Downfall) “Davidson collaborated with Machine Gun Kelly to write the sketch "A Message from the Count" for Kelly's album Hotel Diablo .” (Wikipedia)
• Hotel Diablo. Davidson contributed a jointly written sketch to Hotel Diablo. “Davidson collaborated with Machine Gun Kelly to write the sketch "A Message from the Count" for Kelly's album Hotel Diablo .” (Wikipedia)
• Chris Webby. Davidson's discography lists a track with Chris Webby. “"Wall of Fame (Interlude)" 2022 Mainstream Sellout Guest appearance "Who Am I" 2023 Chris Webby 28 Wednesdays "Houdini" 2024 Eminem The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” (Wikipedia)
• Chase Sui Wonders. Davidson and Wonders worked on Bodies Bodies Bodies and Bupkis. “They met on the set of Bodies Bodies Bodies and she later co-starred in Davidson's streaming series Bupkis .” (Wikipedia)
• Bill Hader. Davidson met Hader while filming Trainwreck, and Hader helped him obtain an SNL audition. “Davidson was given a chance to audition for the show through regular Bill Hader , whom he had met while filming a small part in the 2015 Judd Apatow feature film comedy Trainwreck .” (Wikipedia)
• Kim Kardashian. Davidson and Kardashian performed together in a Saturday Night Live sketch. “During her time hosting an episode of SNL , the two shared an on-screen kiss in a Disney-themed sketch where they played Jasmine and Aladdin .” (Wikipedia)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Davidson's Chad character debuted in an episode hosted by Louis-Dreyfus. “who first appeared in the season 41 episode hosted by Julia Louis-Dreyfus , as a pool boy who becomes entangled with a lonely housewife.” (Wikipedia)
• The King of Staten Island. Davidson starred in and co-wrote the film. “In May 2020, The King of Staten Island was released, which Davidson both starred in and co-wrote with Judd Apatow , who also directed.” (Wikipedia)
• Eminem. Davidson's discography lists a track with Eminem. “"Who Am I" 2023 Chris Webby 28 Wednesdays "Houdini" 2024 Eminem The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” (Wikipedia)
• Big Time Adolescence by Jason Orley (2019). Big Time Adolescence (Jason Orley) — collaborator for Pete Davidson “In 2019 he starred in Jason Orley's Big Time Adolescence, and had supporting roles in Adam Shankman's What Men Want, Jeff Tremaine's The Dirt, Thurop Van Orman's The Angry Birds Movie 2, and John Turturro's The Big Lebowski spin-off The …” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Funny People by Judd Apatow (2009). Funny People (Judd Apatow) — collaborator for Pete Davidson “The first new addition to the cast that season, Davidson was given a chance to audition for the show through regular Bill Hader, whom he had met while filming a small part in the 2015 Judd Apatow feature film comedy Trainwreck.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost (2020). A Very Punchable Face (Colin Jost) — geography for Pete Davidson “In 2023, Davidson and fellow SNL comedian Colin Jost purchased a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry boat.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Dwayne Johnson. Davidson and Johnson performed together in a Saturday Night Live sketch. “an Indiana Jones -style sketch in which he and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson , after being pelted with poison darts, were forced to mutually suck poison out of each other's various body parts” (Wikipedia)
• Snoop Dogg. Davidson and Snoop Dogg took part in the same televised roast. “In March 2015, Davidson was a roaster on the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber , and his set was praised as one of the best of the show. [ 25 ] Among his bolder jokes was one at the expense of fellow roaster Snoop Dogg” (Wikipedia)
• Kevin Hart. Davidson performed at a roast hosted by Kevin Hart. “Among his bolder jokes was one at the expense of fellow roaster Snoop Dogg , host Kevin Hart , and their 2004 film Soul Plane .” (Wikipedia)
• Wayne's World by Lorne Michaels (1992). Wayne's World (Lorne Michaels) — collaborator for Pete Davidson “Hader subsequently told producer Lorne Michaels about him.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Here's Everything by Ricky Velez (2021). Here's Everything (Ricky Velez) — peer for Pete Davidson “Davidson is the godfather of Leo, the son of fellow comedian and friend Ricky Velez.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Tical by Method Man (1994). Tical (Method Man) — geography for Pete Davidson (musicbrainz.org)
• Kid Gorgeous at Radio City by John Mulaney (2018). Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (John Mulaney) — peer for Pete Davidson “In January 2019, it was announced that Davidson would be touring with John Mulaney in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts for a limited series of comedy shows titled "Sundays with Pete & John".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan (1993). Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Wu-Tang Clan) — geography for Pete Davidson
• Feelings by Ramy Youssef (2019). Feelings (Ramy Youssef) — peer for Pete Davidson

Who Pete Davidson influenced

• Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain by Please Don't Destroy (2023). Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (Please Don't Destroy) — legacy for Pete Davidson “Its song "Three Sad Virgins", with Pete Davidson and Taylor Swift, received widespread attention.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Bodies Bodies Bodies by Halina Reijn (2022). Bodies Bodies Bodies (Halina Reijn) — legacy for Pete Davidson (themoviedb.org)