“Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson is still venting about his experiences in Syracuse, this time in a new standup comedy special on Netflix.
“Pete Davidson: Alive from New York” premiered on the streaming service Tuesday and featured jokes about disgraced comedian Louis C.K. (who Davidson says tried to get him fired from “SNL”), his ex-fiancee Ariana Grande, and his controversial remarks about Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), a Navy SEAL who lost his right eye when he was hit by an IED blast in 2012. Davidson also appeared to reference getting pulled over by police in Manlius, N.Y., in August 2018 while he was filming the movie “Big Time Adolescence” in Central New York.
“I get in trouble a lot. Like, I got pulled over today on the way here,” Davidson joked.
“And does anybody when they get pulled over put on, like, Billy Joel? ‘Cause you think the officer’s going to come up, like, ‘License and reg— Billy Joel! Get the f--- out of here, dude! You’re not a piece of s---. I thought you’d be listening to 2 Chainz or something. All right.' It’s even more awkward when it doesn’t work. Then you’re just sitting there and he’s like, ‘License and registra— can you turn off Bill Withers?’”
Davidson never mentioned Syracuse in the special, but he made national headlines when was pulled over pulled over by Manlius police in nearby Fayetteville. Davidson was never arrested, but his friend and passenger Joey Gay was charged with marijuana possession. Gay pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of marijuana last year in a plea deal; he paid $225 in cash in fines.
Davidson called Syracuse “trash” in an interview with Howard Stern afterwards and later accused police of targeting him while he was filming “Big Time Adolescence” for the Liverpool-based American High.
“It sucked... The whole town of Syracuse blows,” the 26-year-old comedian told Variety last year while promoting the movie’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
“To be honest, they just found out I was there and tried to arrest me the entire time... There’s nothing going on there so they were hunting me down the entire time... Never again, Syracuse."
Town of Manlius Police Capt. Kevin Schafer told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that its officers do not target anyone: “When we stop a vehicle, we don’t know who’s in it.”
“Big Time Adolescence," starring Davidson, Griffin Gluck, Jon Cryer and Colson Baker (aka rapper Machine Gun Kelly), hits select theaters on March 13 and begins streaming on Hulu. “Pete Davidson: Alive from New York” is now streaming on Netflix.
Both are directed by Jason Orley.
The Netflix special includes photos of Orley and Davidson during the closing credits, including shots from behind the scenes of “Big Time Adolescence” in the Syracuse area.
