Pete Davidson.Photo:Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Pete Davidsonis taking a moment to reflect on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
In hisSaturday Night Livehosting debuton Saturday’s season 49 premiere, Davidson, 29,openedthe sketch show on a more somber note, as he addressed Palestinian militant group Hamas’surprise attackon Israel last Saturday that killed hundreds of civilians.
“This week we saw the horrible images and images first. And I know what you’re thinking, Who better to comment on it then Pete Davidson?” the actor and comedian began the cold open.
“In a lot of ways, I am a good person to talk about it because when I was 7 years-old, my dad was killed in a terrorist attack. So I know something about what that’s like,” Davidson said.
He shared, “I saw so many terrible pictures this week ofchildren’ssuffering — Israeli children and Palestinian children. And it took me back to a really horrible, horrible place and no one in this world deserves to suffer like that, you know, especially not kids.”
On a personal note, Davidson recalled: “After my dad died, my mom tried pretty much everything she could do to cheer me up. I remember one day when I was eight, she got me what she thought was a Disney movie. But it was actually theEddie Murphystand-up specialDelirious."
He continued, “And we played it in the car on the way home and when she heard the things Eddie Murphy was saying, she tried to take it away, But then she noticed something for the first time in a long time, I was laughing again."
“I don’t understand that. I really don’t and I never will. But sometimes comedy is really the only way forward through tragedy,” Davidson said.
“My heart is with everyone whose lives have been destroyed this week. But tonight, I’m gonna do what I’ve always done in the face of tragedy, and that’s try to be funny. Remember, I saidtry,“he concluded.
Approximately 1.7 million of Gaza’s 2.1 million million residents, are Palestinian refugees, per the UNRWA. More than 123,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced since the fighting escalated on Saturday, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
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Saturday Night Liveairs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
source: people.com
