Pete Davidson Calls Out Cancel Culture In New Stand-Up: “Jokes Are Very Scary To Tell”

Comedian Pete Davidson got a little controversial during his Las Vegas premiere stand-up show Sunday at The Mirage’s “Aces of Comedy.” Davidson put the “cancel culture” on blast and referenced now-disgraced public figures such as Michael Jackson, Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly. “It’s a weird time,” Davidson said. 

“Jokes are very scary to tell. Isn’t that weird? That’s the scariest thing you could do right now. Tell a joke. Because really, I think people pick and choose what they want to be mad at. You, know? Because it’s all depending on if you like the person or not,” he added. 

The comedian also acknowledged that not all canceled celebrities are treated equally. “It’s easy to hate Harvey Weinstein because he’s ugly and fat, but then, like, R. Kelly comes around, and you’re, like, ‘Well, he had his demons.’ But then ‘Ignition Remix’ was a great song,” Davidson continued. “So we can look past that. Harvey Weinstein didn’t have no ‘Ignition Remix.'”

As he continued, Davidson addressed the HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland,” stating, “There’s a full two-hour documentary about Michael Jackson. People are like, ‘He had a rough childhood.’ People pick and choose.”

With two films releasing in 2020, including ‘The Jesus Rolls,’ a spinoff of The Big Lebowski, and a so-far untitled Judd Apatow movie based on the story of Davidson’s life, the 25-year-old comedian shared why he embarked on a summer stand-up tour.

“Unfortunately, I have to try stuff that I haven’t really been working,” Davidson said. “It hasn’t been good yet, so, just so you know, when you think it’s not good … I know. I don’t want us to sit here thinking like, ‘You know, he thinks he’s great.’ No, I’m very self-aware … you got to try things … to see if it’s going to be good or not. You know? Billy Joel can just come out and f**king sing ‘Piano Man’ for 40 years … I can’t come out and talk about being in high school forever.”