# Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson is a Staten Island comedian whose chaotic dating life and openly troubled Instagram presence made him one of the most memed public figures of the late 2010s and early 2020s. His whirlwind 2018 engagement to Ariana Grande launched the 'Big Dick Energy' meme, and his 2022 romance with Kim Kardashian earned him a viral hate-nickname from Kanye West that dominated Instagram feeds for weeks.
## Origin
Peter Michael Davidson was born November 16, 1993 in Staten Island, New York[5]. His father, an FDNY firefighter, died in the September 11 attacks, and Davidson has spoken publicly about the resulting trauma alongside diagnoses of Crohn's disease and borderline personality disorder[2]. He started standup at 16, made his television debut on MTV's Failosophy in February 2013, and joined Saturday Night Live as a featured player on September 27, 2014, at age 20[5].
His mainstream tabloid profile began climbing in early 2018 when he and Ariana Grande went Instagram-official in May, weeks after her split from Mac Miller[1]. Grande and Davidson confirmed their engagement on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 20, 2018, with Davidson telling Jimmy Fallon he 'felt like I won a contest' and comparing his new street-level fame to the Derek Jeter Nike commercial where strangers tip their hats[1]. The engagement collapsed on October 14 of the same year, and TMZ was first to report the breakup[5].
- **Platform:** Twitter / Instagram (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2018
## Overview
Davidson exists as a meme in the way most tabloid figures do not. Rather than a single image macro or catchphrase, fans built a running joke out of his tattoos, his shocked-looking eyes, his self-deprecating SNL sketches, and the recurring headline of another famous woman confirming that yes, they are dating him[1]. The core template treats his romances as a persistent internet mystery of how a lanky Staten Island comic keeps pairing off with A-list pop stars and reality TV royalty.
Each new relationship spins off its own micro-meme cycle. The Ariana Grande engagement generated 'Big Dick Energy' via a Grande tweet in June 2018[5]. The Kim Kardashian relationship produced Kanye West's 'Skete' nickname and a wave of doctored Marvel posters in February 2022[5]. When the breakups arrive, his Instagram meltdowns and the NYPD wellness checks that follow become their own tabloid subplot[3][4]. Davidson also weaponized the format himself, cutting SNL Weekend Update segments where he narrated his own tabloid coverage with a shrug[6].
## How to Use
The Pete Davidson meme is mostly reactive rather than a fill-in-the-blank template. When a new celebrity relationship or wildly out-of-league pairing hits the tabloids, users typically post a Davidson photo with captions along the lines of 'the Pete Davidson effect' or 'BDE strikes again' to comment on how an ordinary-looking man ended up with a superstar partner[5]. The 'Skete' variant of the meme is used more aggressively, often in Kanye-adjacent shitposts pitting rap figures against Davidson[5]. His deadpan Weekend Update self-roasts are also cut into short clips and reshared on TikTok whenever new gossip drops.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Pete Davidson?
Pete Davidson is a Staten Island comedian, former Saturday Night Live cast member, and recurring meme subject known for his high-profile relationships with pop stars and reality TV figures[1][5].
### Where did Pete Davidson come from?
Davidson was born in Staten Island on November 16, 1993, began standup at 16, and joined SNL as a featured player on September 27, 2014[5].
### What does Pete Davidson mean as a meme?
As a meme, Davidson functions as shorthand for the archetype of an ordinary-looking guy landing improbably famous partners, most notably powering the 'Big Dick Energy' and 'Skete' meme cycles[5].
### How do you use Pete Davidson in a meme?
It is typically used reactively, posting a Davidson photo or SNL clip to comment on unexpected celebrity pairings or to invoke 'BDE' as shorthand for unbothered confidence[5].
### Is Pete Davidson still popular?
Davidson remains a tabloid regular and touring comedian after his 2022 SNL exit, though his peak meme output was tied to the 2018 Grande and 2022 Kardashian news cycles[5].
### Who was Pete Davidson engaged to?
Davidson was engaged to Ariana Grande, confirmed on The Tonight Show on June 20, 2018, before the pair split in October of that year[1][5].
### What is 'Skete'?
'Skete' is a nickname Kanye West coined for Davidson in a Captain America: Civil War meme posted to Instagram on February 13, 2022, during their public feud over Kim Kardashian[5].
### What is Big Dick Energy?
Big Dick Energy, or BDE, is a Twitter phrase that spread on June 22, 2018 after a Grande tweet about Davidson; user @babyvietcong's application of the term to Davidson pulled more than 162,000 likes[5].
### When did Pete Davidson leave SNL?
Davidson left Saturday Night Live at the end of the show's 47th season in May 2022, delivering a Weekend Update farewell after eight years on the cast[5][8].
### What happened with Pete Davidson's Instagram in December 2018?
On December 15, 2018, Davidson posted a message reading 'I really don't want to be on this earth anymore,' prompting Lorne Michaels to pull his sketches and the NYPD to conduct a wellness check at NBC Studios[3][4].
### What tattoo did Pete Davidson get for Kim Kardashian?
Kardashian revealed on March 16, 2022 that Davidson had branded himself with her name and gotten a shoulder tattoo reading 'My Girl Is a Lawyer'[5].
## References
1. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2018/06/11/ariana-grande-pete-davidson-engaged/693041002/]()
2. [https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/03/entertainment/pete-davidson-mental-health-bullying/index.html]()
3. [https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/snl-sends-pete-davidson-to-get-help-after-troubling-instagram-post-report]()
4. [https://thesource.com/2018/12/17/pete-davidson-appears-on-snl-after-alarming-instagram-post/]()
5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/pete-davidson]()
6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEN1pcn3oAw]()
7. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOKVHvjQ1Gc]()
8. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRgRpiF68B0]()
9. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRQuAiaN0HA]()
10. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pete%20Davidson]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/pete-davidson
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