The Atlantic

Pete Davidson Might Be the Comedic Hero We Need Now. No, Really.

The SNL alum returned to host the show’s much-anticipated return—and was somehow the perfect choice for it.
Source: NBC Universal

The first Saturday Night Live episode since the end of the months-long writers’ strike started with a somber message from the series alum Pete Davidson. He began his cold open by referencing “the horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza,” then quickly addressed the elephant in Studio 8H: “I know what you’re thinking—who better to comment on it than Pete Davidson?”

But however preposterous that premise might sound, Davidson’s cold open and his later monologue made the case for what entertainers—and comedians, especially—can offer audiences in moments of crisis. The 29-year-old comic reminded viewers that his own life had

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