Kanye West Tries to Claim Pete Davidson Beef Is ‘Payback’ Over These ‘SNL’ Jokes

Among the many posts Kanye West published and then deleted on Instagram Thursday was a response to Pete Davidson’s 2018 bit on Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update.” The rapper claimed that his near-constant stream of posts directed at Davidson was “payback” for jokes delivered over three years ago.

West posted a screenshot of Davidson wearing a “Make Kanye 2006 Again” hat, reports Page Six. “Hi Skete, you got any more mental health jokes for me?” West wrote in the caption. He referred to Davidson as “Skete,” a derogatory name he has been using during his Instagram rants about the comedian, who is now dating his estranged wife Kim Kardashian.

Next, West posted a clip from the 2018 segment. “Kanye, I know you’re like, ‘Yo, this is the real me, I’m off the meds’ – take ’em. I’m on ’em, it’s great,” Davidson, who has been open about his own bipolar disorder diagnosis, said in the segment West shared. “This boy thought he could get away with performing this sketch for the team that wrote this for him This is not harassment This is payback,” West captioned the post with the clip.

As West has been doing throughout his latest Instagram adventures, he deleted both of these posts after they got attention. He did later post a picture of blogger Perez Hilton, calling him out for mental health jokes. Then, West posted a photo of the new Balenciaga campaign billboards in New York, featuring Kardashian.

The 2018 “Weekend Update” bit was long before Davidson and Kardashian started dating. The segment aired a week after West’s appearance on SNL when he infamously started a pro-Donald Trump rant as the closing credits began. West did not share the parts of the big where Davidson talked about the rant. “Strictly speaking for myself, what Kanye said after we went off the air last week was one of the worst, like most awkward moments I’ve ever seen here, and I’ve seen Chevy Chase speak to an intern,” Davidson said. SNL then showed footage of the cast awkwardly standing behind West as he spoke. “I’m like, I want a career, so I leave,” Davidson said.

Later, Davidson said West wore a Make America Great hat all week leading up to the episode. “Nobody told him not to wear it. I wish I bullied you. I wish I would have suggested that it might upset some people, like your wife [Kim Kardashian] or every black person ever,” Davidson said.

At the end of the segment, Davidson suggested to West that he start using his bipolar medication again. “I know you’re like, ‘No, this is the real me, I’m off the meds.’ Take ’em!” Davidson said. “There’s no shame in the medicine game. I’m on ’em. … If I ever got on a plane and the pilot said, ‘I just want you to know, this is the real me flying the plane,’ I’d jump out. Being mentally ill is not an excuse to act like a jacka—.”

Davidson started dating Kardashian soon after she appeared on SNL in October 2021. In recent days, West has posted several rants about Davidson, all of which have since been deleted. West also followed Davidson’s new Instagram account. He posted a screenshot of Davidson’s account, adding “FOLLOWED,” before deleting that message as well.