Pete Davidson and fans of Saturday Night Live were likely looking forward to seeing a familiar face return for a new episode of the sketch comedy series.
Davidson was initially scheduled to appear for the May 6 episode along with musical guest Lil Uzi Vert and seemed excited about the opportunity.
Monsters and Critics previously reported about Davidson’s preparations for the hosting gig as he returned to the show that helped launch his career.
He’d previously mentioned leaving his ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian out of his jokes, making one wonder what he might bring up for his monologue and elsewhere.
Davidson also mentioned his episode might not happen, which is now the case for Saturday evening, as the writers strike has halted late-night talk shows and new live episodes of SNL.
Due to that, Davidson may not appear as the host this season, and several other scheduled hosts might not appear until next season.
Pete Davidson was among three hosts scheduled for SNL Season 48
The ongoing writers’ strike has various productions shutting down or shifting gears, including the upcoming MTV Movie & TV Awards, which Drew Barrymore pulled out of hosting this weekend.
Barrymore plans to return for the 2024 installment of the awards show, and it might not be until later in the year that Davidson appears as SNL host.
The former cast member was set to return Saturday night, but that won’t happen. In addition, two other stars were set to host the weekly sketch comedy show.
Per Entertainment Weekly, Kieran Culkin, known from the hit HBO show Succession, was scheduled to return as host. Culkin debuted as SNL host last season. The scheduled musical guest was English singer-songwriter Labrinth.
In addition, another HBO series star, Jennifer Coolidge, would make her hosting debut. Her episode was set to be the Season 48 finale, but it likely won’t happen. In addition, Foo Fighters were set to make their ninth appearance as a musical guest on SNL, marking their first appearance since drummer Taylor Hawkins’ death last year.
Unless the ongoing dispute between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is settled in the next several weeks, the Season 48 finale may be the Ana de Armas episode that aired last Saturday.
Davidson shows support of writers amid postponed SNL episode
Despite his canceled Saturday Night Live episode, there are no hard feelings between Davidson and the WGA as he showed support for the cause.
Per a user’s Twitter video, Davidson purchased pizzas from Spumoni Gardens and gave them to writers on the picket line in Brooklyn, New York.
The quick video clip shows Davidson, decked out in a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, carrying several boxes of pizzas and giving them out to delighted picketing writers in Greenpoint, a neighborhood in Brooklyn.
“I got Spumoni for everyone,” Davidson says, adding, “I gotta support the writers, man.”
“No writers. No shows without the writers,” Davidson says before walking away from the man filming him.
As of this report, it’s unknown which previous episode of SNL will be shown as a rerun on Saturday, May 6. It could be the season-opener featuring actor Miles Teller and musical guest Kendrick Lamar.
Fans also have over 47 seasons worth of SNL episodes and sketches to check out, whether through the SNL YouTube channel or the Peacock streaming service.
Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30/10:30c on NBC.