Sober Pete Davidson Celebrates His Return to ‘SNL’

Over the weekend, Pete Davidson made a triumphant return to Saturday Night Live after a hiatus to deal with drug use. “Good to be back and s***ting on dudes like this,” the 23-year-old comedian wrote beside a still from his “Weekend Update” segment targeted at Rep. Paul Ryan. In the pic, Davidson flashes a smile that is eerily similar to that of the speaker of the House — a choice that was probably intentional, given the segment’s subject matter.

In the skit, Davidson drew comparisons between his journey to sobriety and Ryan, who is struggling to handle the GOP’s proposed replacement for Obamacare even within his own party. “All the Republicans wanted Paul Ryan to come up with something to replace Obamacare, and now that he did, everybody hates it. I know what this is like because for years people have been asking me to quit drugs and get sober. And now that I have, everyone thinks I’m unfunny and boring,” Davidson joked. He was quick note the silver lining of his newfound lifestyle, however, adding, “At least I have dreams now, and I’ve started waking up with boners again. Hard as a rock.”

In a black-and-white shot that Davidson shared, he smiles at something off-camera, looking genuinely happy. “I’m all smiles,” he wrote.

The funnyman also shared a snapshot of himself snuggled up with his girlfriend, Cazzie David — who happens to be Larry David’s daughter, just FYI. “2 lil hoodies,” he captioned the shot. (And yes, they are both wearing hoodies in the pic.)

The message that Davidson was conveying was clear: He’s sober and happy (and probably hoping that these posts help put the whole ordeal behind him). He first revealed his battle with drug use roughly one week ago when he shared a pic of himself holding a cup of coffee with a big smile on his face, along with an explanation of where he’d been. “Just wanted to let you guys know I’m okay. I know I’ve kinda been missing, on social media and on the show,” he acknowledged. “I quit drugs and am happy and sober for the first time in 8 years. It wasn’t easy, but I got a great girl, great friends and I consider myself a lucky man. I’ll always be here for you guys, I promise. Remember to never give up hope because sometimes that’s all we got. We are a family and I appreciate all your love and support. It’s nice to be back in action.”

Around the same time, his girlfriend posted her own pic in honor of their relationship. In the shot, taken at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, Cazzie gently caresses Pete’s face as they smile for the camera. She captioned the pic with a simple heart emoji, which is really all she needed.

This marks the first time that Davidson has been sober in an admitted eight years. His vices included alcohol, pot, and mushrooms, according to his interview on Opie Radio the day before his SNL return. While he confessed that life was a bit “boring” now, he seems to be keeping himself entertained just fine.

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