‘SNL’: Pete Davidson Compares R. Kelly, Michael Jackson to Catholic Church

Pete Davidson dropped by Saturday Night Live’s weekly Weekend Update segment for an edgy bit all about R. Kelly and Michael Jackson.

The comic draws a bit of cheers and jeers from the get-go as he compared the musicians, who have each been abused of sex crimes, to the Catholic Church, who have been accused of covering up molestation cases for decades.

“So have you guys seen the R. Kelly documentary? Before I continue, this guy is a monster. And he should go to jail forever. But if you support the Catholic Church, isn’t that like the same thing as being an R. Kelly fan?” Davidson said. “I don’t really see the difference, only one’s music is significantly better. No, ’cause the other day my mom was like, ‘I’m going to Mass,’ and I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna go listen to the ‘Ignition’ remix.”

He added, “Look, I’m not saying it’s an easy decision. I’m just saying you don’t know how good someone’s music really is until you find out they’re a pedophile. The reason everybody is so upset is R. Kelly and Michael Jackson made great music. But if I found out Macklemore did some weird stuff, I’d be happy to free up some space on my iPhone.”

The comic doubled down, making the argument that a lot of major stars have done terrible things, to varying degrees. He even cited the fact that Charlie Chaplin, the first major movie star, married a teenage girl.

“It just depends who did it, you know,” he said. “I understand people who say, ‘How can you listen to that music after what he did?’ Headphones? I don’t know? Once we start doing our research, we’re not going to have much left. You know. Because it seems like all really talented people are sick.”

Davidson then got a bit of push back from Weekend Update co-anchor Colin Jost, but he managed to reframe the argument in a way that would relate to him.

“So with guys like R. Kelly, the rule should be, if you want to listen to their music, you just have to admit that they’re bad people,” Davidson said.

Jost replied, “Is it that hard to just stop listening to these guys all entirely?”

Davidson said, “Well, you don’t listen to R. Kelly. But what if you found out the inventor of hair gel got caught jerking it on a train. You can’t use hair gel any more?”

He then cited a few more examples of notable figures with dicey pasts, namely Henry Ford and Mark Wahlberg.

“All I’m saying is pretending these people never existed is maybe not the solution,” Davidson said. “The rule should be that you can appreciate their work but only if you admit what they did, you know. You can buy a Mustang but you have to say ‘Henry Ford hated the Jews’ as you buckle in. The full sentence should be, ‘Mark Wahlberg beat up an old Asian dude, and I would like one ticket to Daddy’s Home 3, please.’ Because if it’s that important to you, at least own it.”

He added, “I don’t ever need to see a Kevin Spacey movie again. But if the CEO of Swisher Sweets turns out to be a cannibal, I can’t just change my whole life.”

He went on to tell fans that every time they enjoy a piece of media by a disgraced creator, they should donate a $1 to a sexual assault survivor charity.

“So here’s my plan and hopefully you guys like it. Every time any of us listen to a song or watch a movie made by an accused sexual predator, you have to give a dollar to charity that helps sexual assault survivors,” he said. “I’ve already donated $142. That’s just from the ‘Ignition’ remix alone.”

Saturday Night Live airs weekly at 11:30 p.m ET on NBC.

Photo Credit: Will Heath/NBC