Pete Davidson has always had his mom in his corner, especially through the ups and downs of his sobriety journey.
“She’s been the most supportive ever,” he said on the Tuesday, September 23, episode of the “This Past Weekend With Theo Von” podcast. “It got to a point where she called me when I was in rehab and she was like, ‘My biggest fear is that I will turn on the news and see that my son has died.’”
Davidson, 31, has long been open about his struggles with mental health and addiction. Us Weekly confirmed in August 2024 that the comedian had paused his stand-up tour to check into a wellness facility to focus on his mental health. He previously spent time in rehab to address substance abuse and has dealt with PTSD and borderline personality disorder.
“She’s so supportive and just wants to always have positivity around,” Davidson added about his mother, Amy.
When Von, 45, mentioned that Amy had already lost someone she loved, Pete replied, “exactly.” (Pete’s dad, Scott, was a firefighter who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks.)
“And that f***ing killed me,” he admitted. “So, like, I was like, ‘All right, you can’t die until she’s dead at least.’ My mom’s the most supportive person in the world. She’s a cool lady. The best.”
Pete added that he considers himself “a lucky guy” to have such a supportive family behind him.
“I have a really supportive, cool family that has never asked me for anything. And they should [and] they could and they don’t, and a lot of them need stuff.”
Though Pete said he wishes he had done so sooner, he is happy to be sober now as he prepares for parenthood with girlfriend Elsie Hewitt. Hewitt, 29, announced she was pregnant via Instagram on July 16, sharing a carousel of photos that included a sonogram.
She captioned the post, “Welp now everyone knows we had sex.”
Who Is the Funniest SNL Cast Member?
“In other relationships or when I was a drug addict and, you know, very mentally deranged … like, that was my goal,” he told Von of fatherhood. “Like, I need to have a kid. I need to get married, like, because that’s how I grew up. All my aunts and uncles got married at, like, 21. And they knew each other since grammar school. And they had three kids by 26. … But I was so not ready.”
He continued, “But there was no f***ing way that that was possible. And I almost think that’s why it didn’t happen, because I was like, ‘I need to do this. I have to do this.’ And no one wanted to do that with me. But I think I knew that. And that’s why it was like, I stopped dating and I was like, ‘I need to f***ing get better.’”
Pete first opened up about becoming a father in an interview with Entertainment Tonight just days after his and Hewitt’s pregnancy announcement.
“Well, I honestly couldn’t be more excited. As you know, it’s been my dream forever since I was a little kid,” he said. “The baby’s mother is one of my favorite people to ever exist ever. She’s going to be a great mom and I’m just stoked.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).