How could he be so bold?
That’s what I keep asking myself when I think about Pete Davidson. That is the question. How could Pete — fresh off the heels of Kanye West’s most recent social media rampage — spark another yet another one?
Let’s backtrack. The Kim/Ye divorce saga has played out before the world like an accident on the side of the road. It’s messy, dramatic — and ultimately — truly tragic. And yet? We cannot look away.
There have been so many acts to this performance, so many facets we’ve watched unfold. Given Kim Kardashian’s extensive family and all the random people Kanye brings out of the woodwork, the character list is impossible to keep track of.
Some people have had longer-lasting roles in this performance than others. Julia Fox’s cameo as Ye’s love interest/muse/dress-up doll was brief but culturally impactful. Others, like Kid Cudi or even Billie Eilish, have for some reason or another become targets during Ye’s never-ending media spectacle.
Not that I expected Ye to go down quietly, but the embarrassing mess he has made feels like the closing notes of an aria ringing out from the Titanic — a cry for help on a sinking ship. If you’ve somehow managed to miss any part of this, here’s a quick recap of where Pete Davidson fits into this windy, exhausting — yet, I will admit vicariously exhilarating spectacle.
After Kim announced her split, she was seen with Pete Davidson. Could they be dating? No … right? Turns out, yes. While many thought the pairing was purely for PR — and some still do — it’s real enough that Pete just got a tattoo of Kim’s name on his chest. And real enough that Kanye West made it his mission to brand Pete as “Skete,” devoting Super Bowl Sunday to publicly attacking Pete, Kim, and their relationship.
Yet, Pete and Kim are strong as ever. So strong in fact that some wonder what she could possibly see in him.
Essentially: Pete Davidson is the grown-up manifestation of the high school stoner or bad boy archetype we grew up thinking we could “fix.” The entire world has wasted far too much time on the question. Why are all these high-profile, gorgeous women drawn to him? But look at the media we’ve consumed that forms our expectations about dating. Pete has all the makings of the troubled boy with a heart of gold. He’s got the aloof mystery of the boy who hardly pays attention to you, which only makes you want him more. He’s funny — which is one of the most desirable traits in any partner. But most of all, he treats his girlfriends well.
Pete is absent from social media, so every time he does an interview — or a comedy show — it seems he’s constantly defending himself from a barrage of media comments he’s been forced to be silent about. In one particular interview during his relationship with legacy supermodel Kaia Gerber, Davidson said he treated everyone he was with like a “princess.”
Pete told PAPER (in hindsight, it’s funny to recall the photoshoot for this interview was alongside none other than Ms. Julia Fox herself): “My love language, when I’m in a relationship, is I treat the person I’m with like a princess. I try and go as above-and-beyond as possible because that’s what you’re supposed to do? If you’re in a relationship with someone, you’re just supposed to make that person feel as special as possible.”
While there is something to be said about all this, Pete’s acceptance into the coveted Kardashian clan — alongside punk rock legend Travis Barker and Pete’s bestie MGK, who is dating Kourtney’s new bestie Megan Fox - You got all that? — is part of the new era of pop culture. Aesthetics are veering back towards whiteness. Pop-punk-alt aesthetics are topdog, rather than the appropriated Black aesthetics which permeated the mainstream during the past decade.
But Pete is not just assuming the aesthetics of a dark-minded, troubled person — he’s been public about his mental health struggles. During the worst times, he learned the dangers of relying too much on a romantic partner, treating them as if they were his only reason to live, saying, “Sometimes when you put so much on someone, it overwhelms them, and then they don’t know if they could come close to that. Or if they can keep up with it. So, it’s very off-putting to some…It’s something I had to learn in a past relationship, which sucked to learn through that person, but it makes you better.”
In part, Pete’s maturity has manifested in his relationship with Kim. After public struggles with depression and substance abuse, Pete is now a vocal advocate for mental health transparency, services, and resources. A recently resurfaced SNL clip went viral for its prescient commentary from Pete on Kanye’s mental health.
The 2018 sketch focused on Kanye’s unsuccessful presidential bid and controversial — and alarmingly incorrect — observations on history. Pete appeared on SNL to say: “Kanye is a genius but, like, a musical genius. … Kanye, I know you’re like ‘Yo, this is the real me, I’m off the meds,’ but take [them]. There’s no shade in the medicine game … Being mentally ill is not an excuse to act like a jackass. I’m quoting my therapist, my mom, and my mailman.”
Drawing on his own behavioral health experiences, it seemed like Pete had overcome a lot and reached a healthy point which allowed him to reflect critically on his behavior and how it affected others. Of course, this was before he was unwillingly thrust into this divorce’s media circus merely because he’s in a relationship with Kim.
Soon he became the target of Ye’s ire — which is no small thing, we’ve learned. It seems he broke his resolve to be the bigger person and — in screenshots quickly posted by Ye on Instagram — sent the rapper a photo of himself in Kim Kardashian’s bed.
This set Ye — and the internet — off. For all his moral high ground and urging Ye to calm down, there is no denying that Pete antagonized Ye. We’ve all been there — doing and saying things we know will piss someone off. But this moment of extreme gall from Pete was so astounding that the entire internet was left in shock.
And so again I ask: “How could he be so bold?” In order to be so antagonistic, sooooooo alarmingly reckless, Pete had to be extremely comfortable — both physically and emotionally.
Laying there in Kim’s bed, I don’t blame him. Those bed sheets are unimaginably soft, I’m sure — the whole bed floats like a cloud. Oh, to be Pete Davidson, on toppa the world. Oh, to be so comfy, I could do anything, including incite Kanye’s rage.
The closest I’ve ever been to that comfort is in my own bed when I switched to sheets from Parachute. If you've heard the hype on Parachute bedding, it's because it's worth it. Made of natural, organic materials, Parachute bedding is top of the line. It will transform the way you think about bedsheets and the way you think about sleep.
I'll admit — I got Parachute bedding precisely because all the most stylish and discerning people I knew on social media approved them. So it's not a stretch to believe that even Kim K uses Parachute. Therefore, maybe both Pete and I lay our heads on Parachute pillow covers.
The luxury bedding will fulfill all your sleep needs — from pillows to sheets and comforters, to bathroom and lifestyle goods, too. Don’t compromise on comfort. Parachute makes it easy to sleep on your own cloud. I, for one, have been seeking just this: being so secure and contented I’ll act out. I want to be so relaxed and so self-satisfied that I’ll willingly self-sabotage just to remain that comfortable. I want to be so bold.