Saturday Night Live (SNL) star, Pete Davidson, was welcomed to a Q&A hosted by the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH)  Student Committee on Popular Entertainment (SCOPE) and moderated by SNL’s Alex Moffat this past Tuesday.  

Advertised all over SCOPE’s Instagram with a video montage and several reminders that the event was going live March 30 at 8 p.m., the Zoom was exclusive to UNH students who had access through their UNH login.  

The self-made comedian and standup artist, Davidson did not let the student body down in his Q&A, which was very interesting – to say the least. Just under 1,000 UNH Wildcats, or as Moffat put it, “UNH Bulldogs,” had the privilege of experiencing all the joy that is Davidson.  

The comedic duo deeply considered every question and answered with unfiltered and complete honesty. Students popped off in a previously made questionnaire to give Davidson a variety of “whopper questions” as he joined the Zoom with his inner-monologue theme song from The Billy Hill Show. 

To start off the fiery conversation, Moffat asked, “People want to know if you would rather fight a horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?” Immediately Davidson said, “A bunch of little horses. Yeah, a big duck is going to eat you immediately.”  

There’s more from where these hard hitting questions came from. After answering a question regarding what Davidson would take a bath in besides water, he honestly replied, “I don’t know, what the f*ck guys. Maybe Peach Snapple. It’s the best even though it gives everyone diarrhea, or maybe it’s just me… I sh*t black for three days.”  

Students also wanted to know what Davidson thought of their beloved UNH. “Well, as of today, I know it exists,” Davidson laughed. “I think it’s great, I think it’s near New England as well as Maryland and maybe it’s also near New York and Boston and Jersey as well, so I think that’s cool,” Davidson added.  

Davidson had some deep thoughts on the university and where it may or may not be located. The students in Durham, N.H. would expect nothing less from the Staten Island local.  

Despite his lack of knowledge on the students, he still offered some loving advice gifted by his own mom. “Drink beer before liquor,” Davidson said. Not only is he a comedian, but also quite the practical realist, offering words of wisdom to young adults attending university.  

He also gave his own advice in reference to his 16 year-old self. “I would say try to prepare yourself the best you can because [the press, media, anyone that’s not you and friends] aren’t going to be kind,” Davidson said. His dark and self-deprecating humor has taken Davidson far in life and clearly gotten him through some more deafening times. “Just buckle in and know that people are going to be sh*tty,” Moffat adds.  

From raving about Ben & Jerry’s Tonight Dough, to setting an elephant free on the Jersey turnpike, they still made time to discuss how Davidson got onto SNL in the first place. After doing stand-up for Amy Schumer, Davidson was able to meet Judd Apatow and Bill Hader. Hader recommended Davidson to audition for SNL, where he got his first shot at being a writer for the show. “I would do anything [for SNL],” Davidson said. A month later, Davidson was actually asked to be a cast member for the following Monday.  

Moffat, “on the edge of his seat”, dove  in deeper to find out Davidson actually admired Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler, inspiring his job on SNL. The show encompasses a similar humor to that of Murphy and Sandler and is reflected in Davidson’s style.  

Above all, Bill Burr stands as Davidson’s favorite comedian. “I saw him open for Dane Cook at Madison Square Garden… He crushed so hard, me and my cousin left to try and go find him… I have been following him religiously ever since,” Davidson said.  

Davidson is not only well known for his shows, but also by being covered from head to toe in a mass of tattoos. Rumors are true, as Davidson openly admitted he is burning off all but one tattoo. In the Zoom, he showed the tattoos he has already had lasered off and acted relatively satisfied with his decisions.  

As a creative and extroverted person, Davidson has figured out how to express himself in unique and outwardly ways, even when it comes to his job.  

“If it genuinely makes me laugh, I write it down and then I’ll ask one of my friends that I trust their opinion and if they like it, I’ll ask one more person and then if it goes three for three, I’ll put it in the act,” Davidson said. In his creative process, he will even try out jokes that only he finds funny. “You’ve gotta try it, baby,” Davidson said.  

There were a million more questions that were burning a hole in the student’s brains. However, it was time for live questions to come through. Many students commented on how “fine” Davidson is.  

“Tell that to the person who made my Wikipedia picture cause that guy does not think I’m fine. He’s putting up this picture of me from like 2014 where I look like, like a mush,” Davidson responded.   

The transparent commentary from Davidson had students at a loss for words:  

“I don’t know what the yeet is, I just know that it skirts.”  

“Can I sing you a lullaby? No.” 

“Birds? I don’t know. What are birds?”  

“Chris Evans is great. He’s America’s captain.”  

“The best pick-up line is to not use a pick-up line.”  

Out of context and out of pocket, Davidson’s sense of humor lives within the American comedy archives. 

Davidson and Moffat made quite the duo and did a great job at keeping the students at UNH entertained during these uneasy times. SCOPE typically hosts events and concerts during the semester, but with the guidelines from the CDC, large gatherings are not permitted. The SCOPE team has done an exceptional job at retaining virtual events during the coronavirus (COVID-19). The fact they were able to get a hold of Davidson and Moffat in the first place is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  

The SCOPE Q&A did unfortunately come to an end after an hour of laughter. In the final words of Pete Davidson, “Thank you guys for paying for another rehab. Later!”  

Photo courtesy of SCOPE Instagram. March 2021.