Pete Davidson on the ‘Really Sh*tty Feeling’ of Incessant Tabloid Attention Over Dating Life

Pete Davidson is the latest guest on Jon Bernthal’s longform podcast series on Patreon, resulting in a nearly hour-long discussion that sees the Bupkis star and co-writer getting decidedly candid about the ins and outs of trying to make art while the world keeps pestering you with tabloid silliness.

At the top of the Real Ones back-and-forth, Bernthal mentioned being “jealous” of the stand-up art form due to its inherent immediacy.

“You can show up, get in front of that mic, and just throw the fuck down,” he told Davidson. “And I think that’s so cool. I think it’s the bravest thing you can do.”

Continuing this line of discussion, Bernthal pointed to the cost of making such “personally driven” art. In Davidson’s case, Bernthal pointed out, some people “turned” on him despite this vulnerability. And before he knew it, he was getting attention for things that have nothing to do with what he actually cares about.

“I think what happened was I became more known before the work was there, but I was always working,” Davidson, who rarely gives interviews, said. “I’m in my 20s and I’ve dated people and for some reason that is very crazy and interesting to people. I don’t think it’s that interesting.”

Noting that he’s now been in show business for nearly half of his life, Davidson detailed why, exactly, the near-constant coverage surrounding his relationships makes zero sense when you view it within a larger context.

“In 12 years, I’ve dated, like, 10 people,” he said. “I don’t really think that’s that crazy. But to some people, it seems very interesting. And that became sort of, like, all anyone would talk about and it was confusing because I’m not on Instagram, I’m not on social media, I’m not, like, flexing. And these people that I’ve dated, I met them at work. I wasn’t in anyone’s DMs, no one was in mine. I worked at one of the five Hollywood epicenters of where you meet people and that’s just who I was working with and who I was around and that’s how it happens.”

As for the possibility of taking up the habit some celebrities resort to, namely hitting social media or other outlets to correct tabloid reports, Davidson said he doesn’t “feel like I owe that to anyone.” However, he added, such reports do have an impact on those around him.

“And then all of a sudden, you’re in this fucking zeitgeist and everything that’s spoken about you has zero to do with the work and that is a really shitty feeling,” Davidson said.

Deeper into the discussion, which is available in full for members of Bernthal’s Real Ones Patreon, Davidson also looked back on the first time he met his “idol” Adam Sandler and outlined the deep personal importance of landing Joe Pesci for a key Bupkis role. Elsewhere, Davidson recalled how certain SNL jokes at his expense at one point made him feel like “a fucking loser.”

See a free preview of the interview via YouTube below. For the full thing, head here.

In February, Davidson spoke with this writer for a brief but no less memorable interview spurred by Super Bowl-ified mayonnaise. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for extensive coverage surrounding Bupkis, which is slated to debut on Peacock in May.