After leaving “Saturday Night Live,” Pete Davidson says he hit rock bottom. In a new interview with Variety, the comedian revealed that losing the structure of the long-running sketch show contributed to a personal spiral that ultimately led him to rehab before he got sober, became a father and gained a new perspective on life. Davidson also reflected on his eight-year run on the NBC series, admitting that despite its impact on his career, he wanted to leave almost from the beginning. “I wanted to leave after my first year and asked Lorne Michaels to leave every year,” Davidson told the outlet. “I was like, ‘I don’t f—— work in this!’ … And he’d always be like, ‘You’ll figure it out after four years.’ And he was right.” Davidson ultimately left “SNL” in 2022, saying he felt it was simply “time” to move on. The years that followed proved challenging. The 32-year-old said that after starring in and creating the semi-autobiographical Peacock series “Bupkis,” he reached what he described as “rock bottom.” Without the routine that “SNL” had provided and while revisiting painful moments from his life through the series, Davidson turned to drugs to cope. “It was K. I was getting liquid and cooking it,” Davidson said of his ketamine use, adding that he was also taking acid, mushrooms, whippets, marijuana and pills. “It got scary because I didn’t feel high, I felt high when I wasn’t doing it.” According to Davidson, an emotional FaceTime conversation with his mother convinced him to seek help. He later checked himself into rehab and walked away from a second season of “Bupkis,” despite the show’s renewal. Davidson said he had grown tired of “playing yourself and constantly living in your own crap” and no longer wanted to turn his trauma into entertainment. Celebrity couples Dec 18, 2025 Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt welcome first baby Saturday Night Live Nov 9, 2025 Pete Davidson makes surprise return to ‘Saturday Night Live' Now, he says fatherhood has transformed his outlook entirely. Davidson and model Elsie Hewitt welcomed daughter Scottie, who was named after his late father, a firefighter who died in the Sept. 11 attacks when Davidson was 7 years old. “Scottie is my whole life,” Davidson told Variety. “As soon as I saw her for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh my God, none of this f—— matters at all.'” The actor said he is now sober aside from “four beers a year” and credits his daughter with helping him stay focused. “It fills a lot of emptiness,” Davidson said. “It’s the best, man. I’m excited to get up every day.” ...read more read less