Pete Davidson is reigning the discussion today. And expectedly so as the 29-year-old celebrity who is known for his goofy personality and top-notch sense of humor is also the voice behind the leading Autobot, Mirage in the latest soon-to-be-released Transformers installment.

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Being a part of a renowned franchise comes with its pros and cons and in Davidson’s case, being a part of the Transformers saga has led his many fans to revisit his past life which is marked by a successful career, active dating life, and controversies – compelling many people to ask the question, why is Pete Davidson popular?

Here’s a comprehensive list of the reasons why the SNL star managed to attract immense popularity.

His career in comedy: SNL and others

Davidson claims to be a comedian at heart but still makes a point to thank Amy Schumer for introducing him to the industry which paved his way to SNL. It was Schumer’s intervention that lent Pete a small role in her movie, Trainwreck.

“She let me open for her on the road for a little bit, and she was like, ‘I’m doing this movie, Trainwreck. I’ll see if I can get you a part in it,” he remarked about Schumer’s involvement in his career.

The positive impression he made through his performance as Dr. Conner in the movie proved him as a suitable choice for NBC’s SNL which he joined in 2014 at the age of 20, making him the show’s youngest cast member.

After filling the show with his savvy humor for eight successful seasons before his departure in 2022, Davidson earned his status as an established, famous, and notable comedian. Pete’s triumph on SNL cleared the path for other projects – like his recent comedy specials, Pete Davidson: Alive from New York (2020) and Pete Davidson: The Best Friends (2022) which have further cemented his career in the realm of comedy.

His career in Hollywood

His name being synonymous with SNL and comedy in general, Davidson’s appearance in certain noteworthy as well as commercially successful movies flourished his career further catapulting him into popularity and fame.

In addition to starring in Trainwreck — which practically began his lucrative career — he is also known for starring in movies like The King of Staten Island as well as the 2023 comedy series Bupkis, broadening his career and earning him positive popular attention.

However, it was A24’s 2022 black comedy thriller, Bodies Bodies Bodies, which heightened people’s perception of Davidson as a talented actor and a viable casting choice for mainstream commercial movies.

His high-profile dating life

This is the area where the SNL star made the most impression serving as fodder for endless gossip. His highly publicized romances with some of the industry’s behemoths like Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale, and Phoebe Dynevor served as catnip for tabloid attention in the past. But it is his relationship with mega reality star Kim Kardashian which surpasses them all.

Kardashian and Davidson are believed to have started dating in late 2021 but called it quits in August 2022, taking the internet by storm. Even though the details and cause of their breakup remain elusive, they decided to remain friends following their breakup.

A string of challenges

Fame, gossip, and positive receptions are followed by brutal challenges, and sadly, Davidson couldn’t escape the truth. The Bodies Bodies Bodies star has been quite vocal about his prolonged struggles with drug addiction and mental health.

Be it his multiple stints in rehab or suffering from borderline personality disorder, Davidson shared his severe tussles with the public mostly to create awareness about these grave issues. Speaking of his time in rehab in 2020, he jokingly mentioned his pseudonym ‘Howard’ under which he was staying. Amusingly revealing his imminent visit to rehab, he said,

“I’m going on a little ‘vacation.’ You know, the kind of vacation where insurance pays for some of it, and they take your phone and shoelaces. And you have roommates but it still costs like, $100,000.”

Again talking about his addictions and occasional mental health breakdowns shaping his decision to visit rehab in the WTF podcast with Marc Maron, he said,

“I’ve been a pothead forever. Around October [or] September last year, I started having these mental breakdowns where I would, like, freak out and then not remember what happened after. Blind rage. I never really did any drugs, so I was like, ‘I’m gonna try to go to rehab. Maybe that’ll be helpful.’ So I go and get off weed. They told me, they’re like, ‘You might be bipolar.’ … One of my psychiatrists [diagnosed me].”

Besides his substance abuse problems, Davidson openly claimed to have battled depression for several years. In 2017, he revealed being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder on SNL sharing,

“As some of you know, I was recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, a form of depression. First of all, if you think you’re depressed, see a doctor and talk with him about medication and also, be healthy. Eating right and exercise can make a huge difference.”

Personal troubles aside, Davidson’s past relationships elicited some curiosity and commotion on social media. This includes his tumultuous breakup with his girlfriend, Cazzie David, which the latter blamed on his problem with commitment.

David also went on to explain about Pete breaking up with her through a text message after a bitter confrontation between the two and his cold demeanor thereafter. Undoubtedly, this placed him in a negative light, earning him quite a bit of criticism.

Things also didn’t go smoothly after Davidson and Kardashian called it quits. The pair indeed parted ways on cordial terms but the reality star’s ex-husband, Kanye West explicitly made it clear that he wasn’t a fan of the relationship and publicly called him a ‘heroin addict.’

Going further, in a deleted Instagram post, West pieced together some photoshopped images of newspapers creating the headline, “SKETE DAVIDSON DEAD AT 28” a nickname to which he referred Davidson when he was dating the rapper’s ex-wife. Not to mention he went as far as to make a music video, “Eazy” that showed Ye killing and burying Davidson, raising concern.

It can be said that success, media attention, challenges like substance abuse and mental health issues as well as criticisms and online harassment added to the myriad of reasons for the Bupkis star’s popularity.