Comedian Pete Davidson’s new Netflix stand-up special is titled Alive From New York—an allusion to both his role as Saturday Night Live’s most tabloid-friendly cast member and an acknowledgement of the very public suicide threat that followed the end of his relationship with Ariana Grande.
Davidson’s apparent unease with his place at SNL and his celebrity persona are ever-present throughout the special, his biggest solo project to date before the new semi-autobiographical film The King of Staten Island hits theaters later this year.
He opens with the story of how Louis C.K. essentially tried to get him fired from SNL for smoking too much weed. Lorne Michaels decided to keep him around and vindication came on that “glorious morning” five years later when C.K. was later exposed for serial sexual misconduct. “I didn’t want it to happen, but if it was going to happen to anyone, I’m glad it was him,” he jokes.
