Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson did not shy away from his high-profile engagement to Ariana Grande during the season premiere. However, the pop star’s fans think one of his jokes crossed a line.
Davidson appeared as himself during the show’s weekly Weekend Update segment to discuss the relationship. He first joked about a prenuptial agreement, then he went into a fictional confession that he had secretly taken away Grande’s birth control to ensure she did not leave him.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Obviously, I wanted one (a prenup). God forbid we split up, and she takes half my sneakers,” Davidson joked. “Last night I switched her birth control to Tic Tacs. I believe in us and all, but I want to make sure that she can’t go anywhere.”
Pete Davidson’s joke about switching out Ariana’s birth control – I’m sure those lights are bright but read the room bro
— Nick Kreiss (@nickkreiss) September 30, 2018
Grande fans and onlookers were not too fond of the made-up situation, which equates to sexual assault, if it was genuine.
“Pete Davidson made a joke about switching Ariana’s birth control? Nah I’m really done with SNL,” one fan wrote, later adding she hoped Davidson “falls off a cliff.”
Another fan added, “Pete Davidson’s joke about switching out Ariana’s birth control – I’m sure those lights are bright but read the room bro.”
This is far from the first time Davidson has been criticized for his remarks about his fiancée. Past jokes, including one made about the Manchester bombing, have made him very unpopular among her fan base, so much so that he has apparently received death threats.
“I hate it (the new attention). It’s awful. I’m so scared. I got death threats,” Davidson said on Weekend Update. “Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Pete Davidson are all people who’ve gotten death threats.”
He then made light of the situation, joking that he did not discover the death wishes from authorities but from his building’s doorman instead.
“I assumed I would find out about it like they do in movies,” he said. “Like, the government’s in your living room with headsets and there are detectives in suits, and they’re like, ‘Sir, we have a situation.’ That’s not how I found out. I was leaving my building and my doorman said, ‘Yo man somebody tryin’ to kill you.’”
Grande has not publicly commented on Davidson’s Weekend Update appearance as of press time.
Saturday Night Live airs Saturday nights at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Photo Credit: FilmMagic / Jeff Kravitz
Most Viewed
-
(Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) -
Beverly Hills, CA – January 31, 2026: Jelly Roll, left, and Bunnie Xo, right, pose for portraits on the red carpet during the 68th GRAMMY Awards Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Avery Lipman & Monte Lipman at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 in Beverly Hills, CA. Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party hosts an array of A-listers from entertainment, sports, and politics to come together and enjoy performances. (Kayla Bartkowski/ Los Angeles Times) -
Joe Tenta, Josephine Tenta, Joanna Tenta, John Jr Tenta, Fred Ottman and son induct the Natural Disasters during WWE 2025 Hall of Fame at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on April 18, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Eric Johnson/WWE via Getty Images) -
Side-by-side: Images of Tim Allen, Stefan Gossler and Jackie Chan (Credit: Christian JENTZ/Gamma-Rapho // Franziska Krug/Getty Images // Stephane Cardinale/Corbis) -
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 10: Chef Anne Burrell poses during the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One – Dinner with Anne Burrell and Marc Murphy part of the Bank of America Dinner Series at Chefs Club on October 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for NYCWFF) -
BRENTWOOD, CA – JUNE 03: Actor Eric Dane and actress Rebecca Gayheart attend the 16th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017 in Brentwood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
