Pete Davidson Debates ‘SNL’ Exit Because He Feels Show Treats Him Like ‘Big Dumb Idiot’

Pete Davidson may be saying goodbye to Saturday Night Live. In a recent interview, the comedian said that he feels like SNL treats him like a “big dumb idiot,” and he wants to break out of that type-casting. So far, the move is not set in stone.

Davidson is undeniably one of SNL‘s break-out stars in recent years, but he may soon be ready to move on. On Monday, he was featured in a nearly hour-long interview on camera with radio personality Charlamagne Tha God. He admitted that he has grown tired of being the butt of the joke on SNL.

“I have a weird feeling in that building where I don’t know whose team they’re playing for really, If I’m the joke or I’m in on the joke,” Davidson said.

Davidson took some responsibility for the niche he fills on the show. He admitted that he is very self-deprecating when he appears on “Weekend Update” segments, where he generally plays himself. However, he said he no longer has the choice to play those sketches differently, because everyone on set treats him like “this big dumb idiot” either way.

Just two hours after Davidson’s interview with Charlamagne went up on YouTube, the official SNL channel uploaded a highlight reel of Davidson’s “Weekend Update” appearances. Commenters feared that this was more evidence that Davidson was leaving the show soon.

“I hope they’re not posting this because Pete is about to leave the show or something…” one person wrote.

Davidson was an anomaly when he was added to the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2014. He was one of the youngest comedians ever to be added to the cast at the age of 20, and was also the first cast member ever who had been born in the 1990s.

That first season featured some of the skits that Davidson is still best-known for to this day, with outrageous, highly physical comedy featuring some of the show’s celebrity guests. However, like many younger cast members, Davidson slowly became more of a fixture in the show’s pre-recorded digital segments.

These days, many of Davidson’s biggest moments on the show happen on “Weekend Update,” where he simply speaks to the audience and Colin Jost as himself, mirroring his stand-up comedy material. Davidson has an increasing focus on stand-up comedy, with a new special coming to Netflix on Tuesday.

Rumors of Davidson’s departure come hot on the heels of similar words from Jost, a head writer and co-host of “Weekend Update” on SNL. Last week, Variety reported that early excerpts from Jost’s memoir, A Very Punchable Face, suggested that he too was mulling an SNL exit.

Jost wrote that he was “preparing mentally” to leave SNL after joining the show 15 years ago. At this rate, the show may be facing a mass exodus among its most recognizable cast members.

Saturday Night Live returns this weekend at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.