Comedian Pete Davidson says he was forced to apologize to Rep. Dan Crenshaw on 'SNL'

"Saturday Night Live" cast member Pete Davidson made fun of Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) for losing an eye in Afghanistan. Then "SNL" had Crenshaw on for a segment, during which Davidson apologized. At the time, it seemed like a pleasant resolution — now Davidson says he regrets the apology.

YouTubeyoutu.be

In his new stand-up comedy special, "Alive from New York," Davidson addressed the Crenshaw saga and said he was forced to apologize and that he regrets the fame Crenshaw gained from the situation.

"So I made fun of this guy with an eyepatch and then, like, I kind of got forced to apologize," Davidson said, also adding that he had received death threats. "My roommate (how he refers to his mother) thought I should apologize so that I didn't get shot in the face."

The joke came during a 2018 "SNL" segment during which Davidson made jokes about various congressional candidates. Of Crenshaw, Davidson said he was "surprised he's a congressional candidate from Texas and not a hitman in a porno movie."

Having allegedly found out about the cause of Crenshaw's eye injury just before the segment, Davidson said he decided at the last minute to add on the line, "I'm sorry, I know he lost his eye in war or whatever," which many took to be disrespectful to Crenshaw's military service and sacrifice. Davidson claims it was just an expression because he wasn't completely sure how the injury occurred.

Davidson drove the point home by saying he made Crenshaw needlessly famous.

"The only thing I did do, which I am guilty of — and I apologize for — is I did make that guy famous and a household name for no reason, right?" Davidson said. "I did what, like, Ariana Grande did for me, right? I sucked his d**k at 'SNL.'"

These remarks are, of course, jokes from a comedy routine, so it's difficult or impossible to tell how much truth is in them — but Davidson does appear frustrated with how things played out.

(Content warning: rough language):

(H/T: The Daily Beast)