Pete Davidson is looking back at past relationships and "traumatic" moments from his life in the public eye, making it clear that the public fixation on his personal life, especially his infamous “BDE” era, left lasting scars.
In a candid interview on The Breakfast Club, the 31-year-old comedian opened up about the years when his dating life made more headlines than his work on 'Saturday Night Live.' Davidson didn’t hold back when reflecting on how the media frenzy, especially during his high-profile relationship with Ariana Grande, negatively affected him.
“Also, I was embarrassed by it because... no one talked about any work I was doing. They were just like, 'Oh, that's the f--- stick.' And that hurt so much,” he told co-host Charlamagne Tha God.
At the time, Davidson had been a rising star on SNL, joining the show in 2014 just before turning 21. While he quickly stood out as one of the youngest-ever cast members, his notoriety became less about his talent and more about his love life, including a brief engagement to Grande in 2018. The relationship catapulted him into the pop culture spotlight, and with it came endless speculation about his manhood.
It was a tweet from Grande that sparked the entire “Big D--- Energy” phenomenon. In response to a fan asking about the length of a track named after Davidson on her 'Sweetener' album, she joked, “Like 10 inches? …oh f---… I mean… like a lil over a minute.” The remark went viral.
Soon after, The Cut published a defining article about BDE, describing it as "a quiet confidence" not based in ego but in presence. Initially, Davidson played along. He told Variety he didn’t mind the jokes. “I’m just really, really happy, and if that means I have big dick energy, then sick,” he said at the time.
But years later, the story is different. “It's Hollywood. Everybody f---s everyone. Why are they focusing on me?” Davidson asked during the new interview. He suggested the fascination wasn’t just about who he was dating, but why.
“It was, I think it was like the New York Times or something, when I started dating someone that I guess they considered out of my league, which I think everyone is out of my league,” he said. “They were like, 'This guy must have big d--- energy.' And then someone confirmed it.”
Davidson believes the media hyperfocus boiled down to one thing, his looks. "I'm not Glen Powell handsome," he joked. The comedian added that this level of attention made working relationships and even friendships uncomfortable.
The SNL team also commented on the discourse. “No one was outrightly mean by any means,” he explained. But friends, castmates, and family “noticed how sad and embarrassed” he was becoming.
“I don’t want to victimize myself in any way because I’m cool, but the sexualization of me — if that was a girl, people would be like, there would be a march for it… Seriously. You're just talking about my d--- all day.”
He continued, “And living through that is... it’s sort of traumatic. Like not to be like lame, but it's traumatic to live in your own crap all the time.”