Pete Davidson’s Joke About Congressional Candidate Dan Crenshaw Didn’t Go Over Well With Some People

Pete Davidson returned to the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update desk and initially got attention for speaking about his breakup with Ariana Grande, but now he’s making news for what he said before that. Pete’s bit on Weekend Update was primarily about tomorrow’s midterm elections. He cracked a bunch of jokes at the expense of some Republican candidates, as well as Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo, who he said looks like the type of guy to fuck your mom and then eat breakfast the next morning in his underwear. Texas congressional candidate Dan Crenshaw was one such person who got dragged by Pete, and some people (including Dan himself) are really not happy about it.

Pete’s joke was pretty simple, and it played off Dan’s eyepatch (Dan, a former Navy SEAL, lost his right eye from an explosive device while serving in Afghanistan). Pete joked:

“This guys kinda cool, Dan Crenshaw. You may be surprised to hear he’s a congressional candidate from Texas, and not a hitman from a porno movie. I’m sorry , I know he lost his eye in war or whatever.”

To be fair, Pete also roasted himself, saying: “I know I shouldn’t be making fun of how anyone looks. I look like I make vape juice in a bathtub. I look like a Dr. Seuss character went to prison.” Very accurate.

Dan and his supporters were disgusted with Pete and SNL for what they perceived as a tasteless, anti-veterans joke.

Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl recognizes that vets don’t deserve to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes.

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) November 4, 2018

Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, aka the woman Taylor Swift told you all not to vote for, was disgusted that SNL would make fun of a “war hero.”

The unhinged Left has respect for no one, including our nations war heroes. Utterly shameful that @nbcsnl is mocking Republican Congressional candidate and Navy Seal veteran @DanCrenshawTX for his sacrifice in the line of duty.https://t.co/D3Snni9BZC

— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) November 4, 2018

Apparently The Right was really pissed at The Left for cracking an eyepatch joke. Kenan Thompson, son of a veteran and the longest-serving SNL cast member, appeared on the Today show this morning to promote The Grinch. And he also seemed to agree that maybe Pete’s joke wasn’t the best.

It feels like Pete’s next visit to the Weekend Update desk might involve some more awkward damage control (Lorne, just make it an official segment already). But Dan doesn’t want an apology. After he was done on Twitter, Dan filmed a little video in which he claimed that our culture is too obsessed with being outraged and that he doesn’t like an apology for apology’s sake. But, he did suggest that Pete and SNL not make jokes about veterans in the future.

Dan also appeared on FOX & Friends, saying that SNL probably should apologize, but that an apology wouldn’t mean anything to him. He added that he’d rather see SNL donate some money to a veteran’s charity. Neither Pete, nor SNL, have said anything in response to the eyepatch outrage.

Dan’s upset most likely came from that whole “war or whatever” angle. I’m assuming this because there’s no way it was Pete’s comparison to a hitman in a porno. Anyone with even the vaguest knowledge of porn knows that there are about a million worse people on a porno set you could get compared to. Literally anyone with the words “delivery” or “clean up” in their job title. Hell, a hitman is practically the second-most dignified role, behind butt surgeon.

Pic: NBC