Pete Davidson roasted Will Smith, Tucker Carlson and even mentioned rival Kanye West during his highly-anticipated final appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Davidson, 28, used the season 47 finale on Saturday to farewell fans and critics after joining the show eight years ago when he became the youngest cast member in its history.
The departures of Davidson alongside Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon and Kyle Mooney represent one of the biggest cast shake-ups in years on a show that has seen unusual steadiness in recent seasons.
Davidson appeared, as he often did, in a desk piece on Weekend Update for his send-off with Colin Jost and Michael Che.
‘Hello Colin and Che and millions of people only watching to see if I bring up Kanye,’ he said, referring to girlfriend Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband, whom Davidson has been embroiled in a public war of words with.
He went on to thank everyone involved with the show and discuss how far he’d come since he joined the cast.
Back then I was just like a skinny kid and no one knows what race I was. Now everyone knows I’m white because I’m hugely successful despite never showing up for work,’ Davidson joked.
Davidson also referenced the controversy he created when he mocked Congressman Dan Crenshaw’s eyepatch, pointing out that Fox News has now done the same after ‘calling me a monster’ for saying it himself.
‘Tucker Carlson called him ”Eyepatch McCain”. That’s two veterans in one insult!’
He then made comparisons to what he’d said about Crenshaw to Chris Rock insulting Jada Pinkett-Smith before husband Will slapped him at the Oscars.
I was simply making a joke about someone’s appearance without realizing the story behind it was a sensitive issue, which is an SNL alumni tradition,’ he joked.
Davidson also shared advice SNL creator Lorne Michaels gave to him when he announced his engagement to singer Ariana Grande in 2018.
‘He said: Oh, hold on for dear life! That’s a true thing he said!’
He wrapped up by again thanking everyone involved with the show.
‘I appreciate SNL always having my back and allowing me to work on myself and grow and thank you to Lorne for never giving up on me or judging me, even when everyone else was and believing me and allowing me to have a place to call home with memories that will last a lifetime,’ Davidson added.
Kate McKinnon also appeared to bid farewell during the opening sketch of the season finale.
McKinnon, who was reported to be leaving alongside fellow veteran cast members Aidy Bryant, Davidson and Kyle Mooney, brought back her recurring character Miss Rafferty in the show’s cold open.
SNL first did a version of this sketch back in 2015 when Ryan Gosling hosted the show and became a noted crowd favorite for McKinnon’s ability to make other cast members break and laugh on air.
The sketch went by the usual formula of McKinnon, Cecily Strong and the host (this week was Natasha Lyonne) relating their alien abduction experiences to Pentagon officials, including Bryant.
The sketch ended with the Pentagon officials telling the three that they needed a person to go with them in exchange for alien technology secrets.
Pete’s post was shared from his pal’s account after the comedian deleted his own Instagram following online harassment from girlfriend Kim Kardashian’s, 41, ex-husband Kanye West, 44.
Davidson started out the emotional message writing: ‘This video was taken 8 years ago. Jerrod sent it to me last night and it made me super emotional in the best way.’
He then admitted that when he first joined SNL at age 20, he ‘had no idea’ what he was doing because he ‘wasn’t really a sketch performer.’
Davidson went on to praise his co-stars, noting, ‘I knew I could never keep up or go toe to toe with a Kenan Thompson or a Kate McKinnon so I was super scared at figuring out what I could possibly bring to or do for such a historic, respected show and platform.’
Davidson also revealed he is creating a TV show for Peacock called Bupkis, which is supposed to tell a ‘raw, unflinching, fictionalized’ version of his real life.
Edie Falco was announced to star as his mother, with SNL head honcho Lorne Michaels producing.
McKinnon, 38, won two Emmys and was nominated for nine in her 10 seasons on the show, during which her impressions included Hillary Clinton, and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Her comic chops with characters like alien abductee Miss Rafferty frequently drove castmates and guest hosts to lose it live on air.
Bryant, 35, joined the cast at the same time as McKinnon and has been a constant in sketches ever since, getting four Emmy nominations of her own.
Mooney, 37, appeared in nine seasons starting in 2013.