Ariana Grande song thanks her exes, Pete Davidson talks breakup on SNL
Davidson also called out by Republicans for making fun of a candidate's eye patch
Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson both referenced their high-profile breakup on Saturday — Davidson on Saturday Night Live and Grande on her latest track, Thank You, Next.
As Davidson joined Michael Che on Weekend Update to talk about the midterm elections, he weaved in a joke about having to return home.
"The midterms elections are obviously a huge deal," he said while at the anchor desk. "After I had to move back in with my mom, I started paying attention to them."
More from Pete on Update. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SNL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SNL</a> <a href="https://t.co/jbyMFtzQEh">pic.twitter.com/jbyMFtzQEh</a>
—@nbcsnlNear the end of his sketch, Davidson addressed the audience more seriously about ending his engagement to Grande in an unusual turn.
"I know some of you are curious about the breakup, but the truth is, it's nobody's business and sometimes, things just don't work out and that's OK. She's a wonderful, strong person and I genuinely wish her all the happiness in the world."
Grande pays homage to previous relationships
A half hour before Davidson went live on SNL with guest host Jonah Hill, Grande released her own version of events in a new song called Thank You, Next. In the lyrics, she quashes any rumoured contempt between the couple by praising Davidson as well as former exes Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, and Mac Miller, who died in September at the age of 26.
"Thought I'd end up with Sean but he wasn't a match/Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh/Even almost got married and for Pete, I'm so thankful/Wish I could say thank you to Malcolm cause he was an angel."
The song goes on to explain what she learned from each one: "One taught me love/One taught me patience/And one taught me pain/Now I'm so amazing."
In a tweet Saturday, she posted an important message to her young fans: "No drags.... no shade..... jus[t] love, gratitude, acceptance, honesty, forgiveness ... and growth."
no drags.... no shade..... jus love, gratitude, acceptance, honesty, forgiveness ... and growth 🖤
—@ArianaGrande'Getting dumped' no excuse for quips
Aside from the personal references, Davidson focused his sketch on "first impressions" of electoral candidates, most of whom were Republican. He was heavily criticized afterwards for making fun of Dan Crenshaw's eye patch. The Republican Congressional candidate and former Navy SEAL lost his right eye in an IED blast while in Afghanistan, according to Crenshaw's website.
Getting dumped by your pop star girlfriend is no excuse for lashing out at a decorated war hero.-NRCC spokesperson Jack Pandol
The U.S. National Republican Congressional Committee called out Davidson for likening Crenshaw's looks to "a hitman in a porno movie."
"Getting dumped by your pop star girlfriend is no excuse for lashing out at a decorated war hero who lost his eye serving our country," NRCC spokesperson Jack Pandol said in the statement. "Pete Davidson and NBC should immediately apologize to Dan, and to the millions of veterans and military families who tune in every weekend – because they're not laughing."