Pete Davidson reveals that he pleaded with Lorne Michaels to let him go after his inaugural season on Saturday Night Live.

Longtime star Pete Davidson admitted that he begged creator Lorne Michaels to fire him after a rough first season of Saturday Night Live.

In Peacock's new docuseries, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, the 31-year-old revealed that he was ready to throw in the towel after just one season on the late night show. The comedian confessed that he was ready to leave after struggling to make friends on set as he grappled with imposter syndrome.

Pete made his debut on Saturday Night Live on September 27, 2014, when he was just 20 years old, earning him the title of the youngest cast member in the show's history. In a recent docuseries, the Bodies Bodies Bodies star revealed that he doubted his chances of success following his audition, which he felt was a challenging stand-up performance. Even after receiving the offer to join SNL, Pete admitted he struggled with feelings of inadequacy compared to his highly skilled fellow cast members.

Pete reminisced, "After my first year, I actually requested a meeting with Lorne and said, ‘Please fire me.’ He asked, ‘Why?’ and I replied, ‘I don’t fit in here. Everyone is so talented, and they don’t seem interested in being my friend.’" Chuckling, he continued, "Because I was just a kid. I thought, 'No one wants to be my friend.' He told me, ‘You won’t understand until your third or fourth year... It’s going to be tough for three or four years.’ And he was spot on.”

Following Lorne's motivation for Pete to persevere with his aspirations and remain on the show, the comedian continued as a host on SNL for an impressive eight years, earning $3,000 for each episode. After nearly ten years filled with side-splitting sketches and clever performances alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood, Pete bid farewell to the show on May 21, 2022.

Following Pete's exit from Saturday Night Live, he has taken on several new ventures. In 2023, he co-created and starred in the Peacock drama series Bupkis, which draws inspiration from his life experiences in Staten Island, New York. Once he completed the series, Pete transitioned into a role as the creative director for the sock brand Doublesoul. He shared that his choice to step back from acting was influenced in part by the negative attention and criticism he faced due to his high-profile relationships, notably with Ariana Grande and Kim Kardashian.