Why Pete Davidson ‘Teared Up’ Rewatching His SNL Audition More Than 10 Years Later

Since Saturday Night Live has been successful for decades, fans love to learn more about the legendary sketch comedy show. After all, there are legendary stories about SNL’s backstage fights, the controversial after-paries, and the hosts that hated working on the show. On top of that, SNL fans also want to know how much the show’s cast get paid and about the fact that the guest hosts receive a lot less money than people realize.

When Pete Davidson hasn’t been busy dating celebrities and buying expensive cars, he has talked a lot about SNL. One example of that is the fact that Pete stated that he cried while watching footage of his SNL audition a decade later.

Why Pete Davidson Said He “Teared Up” While Watching His Saturday Night Live Audition

Throughout the history of Saturday Night Live, the show has featured a long list of comedy actors. Despite how many actors have joined and left SNL, it could be argued that Pete Davidson is one of the show’s most unusual stars ever.

Often seen portraying stupid characters on SNL, Pete has often shown how intelligent he is during interviews. While Pete also definitely has a goofy side to his personality, his interviews also show that he thinks about many subjects on a deeper level.

In February 2025, Pete showed both sides of his personality during an interview when he spoke about Saturday Night Live. While reflecting on his history with the legendary sketch comedy show, Pete spoke about how he “teared up” when he rewatched footage of his SNL audition.

On February 7th, 2025, the YouTube channel for Late Night with Seth Meyers uploaded a clip of Pete Davidson appearing on the late-night talk show.

During the segment, Seth Meyers asked Pete about his involvement in a docuseries that was being produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. As Seth explained, Pete watched his own SNL audition for the docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.

While talking about seeing his audition years later, Pete asked Seth if seeing his audition made him get “choked up.”

Pete Davidson starred in Saturday Night Live longer than some people realize. According to IMDb, Pete starred in Saturday Night Live from 2012 until 2022. Pete also returned to Saturday Night Live for one episode in 2024, when John Mulaney was the week’s guest host.

After Seth revealed that watching his audition made him feel like his “entire stomach fell out of [his] body,” Pete said seeing his audition made him emotional. Pete then remarked about why seeing his audition made him emotional.

I teared up a little bit because, you know, I’m, like, you know, 20 there. So it’s before, like, all the bad stuff happens.

In response to Pete referring to the bad stuff that has happened to him, Seth’s studio audience had an emotional reaction.

In August 2022, Screen Rant published an article about Pete Davidson’s best movies. That article revealed that on top of SNL, Pete has appeared in notable movies like Trainwreck, The King Of Staten Island, and The Suicide Squad.

After hearing the crowd’s emotional response, Pete clarified his statement was meant as a joke.

That was supposed to be a joke.

Based on the way Pete was speaking during the interview, it seemed like he was serious about tearing up and joking about the bad stuff happening. That said, some people may feel like Pete was joking about getting emotional too.

There are other reasons to think that seeing his own audition would make Pete tear up.

For example, a YouTube clip of Pete watching his audition from the docuseries included him talking about seeing the desperation he had in his eyes during his audition.

Another reason why it makes sense to believe that seeing his audition would make Pete tear up is what he has said in the past. A perfect example of that is the fact that Pete told CBS Sunday Morning in June 2020, as can be seen on YouTube, that being cast on SNL completely changed his life.

I started being taken seriously as a comic. It really changed my life.

Pete getting emotional about the moment that changed his life makes a lot of sense. It is also worth noting that Pete had previously revealed that he was emotional about the end of his SNL tenure.

Pete Davidson Was Very Emotional Before He Left Saturday Night Live

In May 2022, Pete Davidson’s tenure as a Saturday Night Live cast member ended after the show’s 47th season finale. Before that finale episode aired, Pete penned a statement that an Entertainment Weekly article from the time quoted.

Near the end of his statement, Pete wrote about how emotional he was about leaving Saturday Night Live.

I’m so happy and sad about tonight’s show.

During the same statement, Pete revealed another reason why he would be so emotional about his time on Saturday Night Live. Pete extensively thanked Lorne Michaels and credited the SNL boss with saving his life by always being there for him.

“I owe Lorne Michaels and everyone at SNL my life. I’m so grateful and I wouldn’t be here without them. I appreciate you guys always having my back and sticking up for me even when that wasn’t the popular opinion. Thank you for always believing in me and sticking by my side even when it seemed comical. Thank you for teaching me life values, how to grow up and for giving me memories that will last a lifetime.”

Another emotional part of Pete’s statement came when he revealed what Saturday Night Live had come to mean to him even as he exited. “SNL is my home.”