It felt like the end of an era, honestly. One minute he’s the skinny 20-year-old kid from Staten Island joking about his dad on Weekend Update, and the next, he’s a global celebrity with a dating history that broke the internet. But the question of when did Pete Davidson leave SNL isn't just about a date on a calendar. It’s about a messy, emotional, and very public transition that happened right in front of us.
He officially walked away on May 21, 2022.
That night was the Season 47 finale. It wasn't just Pete, either. The show lost a massive chunk of its heart that evening as Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney all packed up their lockers too. But Pete’s exit felt different. He had been "kind of" gone for a while, missing chunks of the season to film movies or, well, live his life. By the time the finale rolled around, fans were just waiting for the confirmation.
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The Night Pete Davidson Left SNL for Good
The finale was hosted by Natasha Lyonne. If you watch it back, you can see the weight of the moment on everyone’s faces. Pete didn't go out with a crazy character or a huge musical number. Instead, he did what he always did best: he sat at the Weekend Update desk as himself.
He looked vulnerable.
"I never imagined this would be my life," he told Colin Jost. He thanked Lorne Michaels for never giving up on him, even when things got "really weird." It was a callback to the fact that Pete was the first SNL cast member born in the 1990s and one of the youngest ever hired. He grew up on that stage.
Why the Timing Mattered
People always ask why he left right then. To be fair, eight seasons is a long time in Studio 8H. Most "legendary" runs last about seven to nine years. Pete had also become bigger than the show. When you're starring in movies like The King of Staten Island and getting followed by paparazzi every time you grab a coffee, the grueling schedule of a sketch show starts to feel a bit like wearing shoes that are two sizes too small.
There was also the Peacock series Bupkis. Pete was moving into the "creator" phase of his career. He wanted to tell his own stories, his way, without having to fit into a three-minute sketch about a talking cactus or whatever the writers dreamed up at 4:00 AM on a Tuesday.
A Timeline of the Departure
- May 20, 2022: Rumors start swirling. Reports hit the trades that Pete and three other heavy hitters are leaving.
- May 21, 2022 (Afternoon): Pete posts a heartfelt message through his friend Dave Sirus's Instagram account. He doesn't have his own social media, so he "borrowed" the post to say goodbye.
- May 21, 2022 (Night): The finale airs. Pete delivers his final Update monologue and gets a hug from Eminem during a parody of "Forgot About Dre."
- October 14, 2023: Pete returns. He didn't stay away long, coming back to host the Season 49 premiere.
Did He Ever Almost Leave Earlier?
Actually, yeah. He's been pretty open about the fact that he asked Lorne Michaels to fire him after his first season. He felt like he didn't fit in. He wasn't a "character" guy or a master of impressions. He was just a stand-up.
Lorne told him it was going to suck for a few years, but to stick it out.
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It’s lucky he did. By 2022, he had become the show's "relatable" anchor. Even when he was absent for weeks at a time—which happened a lot toward the end—his presence was felt. When he finally left, it left a gap that the show struggled to fill for a while.
What to Do With This Info
If you're looking to revisit the "Pete Era," don't just look for sketches. Pete was rarely the best part of a scripted scene. He’d break character and laugh, or look slightly confused. To really see why he mattered, go back and watch his Weekend Update segments from 2014 to 2022. That’s where the raw, honest Pete Davidson lived.
Keep an eye on his guest appearances, too. He’s popped back up in cameos during Season 50 and 51, showing that while he left the cast, he never really left the family. If you're a fan, the best way to support his post-SNL work is to check out his stand-up specials on Netflix, which carry that same "Staten Island honesty" that made him a star in the first place.