Jack Harlow has written a heartfelt essay dedicated to friend Pete Davidson, who was named as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022.
Harlow wrote about his introduction to Davidson, which came from the Comedy Central roast of Justin Bieber.
“I was a junior in high school at the time, and I had never seen or heard of him,” Harlow remembered. “He got to the mic, made a joke about his own dad dying during 9/11, and I immediately knew he was a different breed.”
Harlow wrote about meeting the Saturday Night Live star on FaceTime with a friend, who said she knew someone who wanted to meet him. “She passed the phone, and suddenly I was looking at Pete Davidson.”
The two finally met in person when Davidson successfully pushed to get Harlow on SNL, which the rapper called “a dream come true” for both him and his family.
“I grew up watching the show with them and got to bring them on set. My mom was in tears,” Harlow recalled. “The night before the show, I went over to Pete’s apartment and he made my friend and me laugh until our stomachs hurt. I felt like I was experiencing elite comedy up close and personal.”
Davidson also joined Harlow on stage in Los Angeles earlier this year.
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Harlow attributed Davidson’s universal appeal to his authenticity, which made him “want to continue to reach even further for the realest version” of himself.
“We don’t have another one of him,” Harlow continued. “He’s daring, thoughtful, and simply hilarious. And he’s only 28. An icon with so much more left to accomplish.”
Davidson, who made headlines in Australia last week when it was confirmed he will be filming on location in Far North Queensland later this year, has reiterated reports that he has finished with SNL after eight years on the show.
The day before filming the Season 47 finale, the comedian wrote a lengthy message shared through his longtime friend and collaborator Dave Sirus’ Instagram account where he confirmed reports that he was leaving.
“In the video I had just gotten back from doing my very first update and sketch,” Davidson wrote. “It’s crazy to think that today I’ll be doing my last one.”
Davidson, who joined SNL as a fresh-faced 20-year-old, said he was “so happy and sad” about his final show.
“I got to share so much with this audience and literally grow up in front of your eyes,” he wrote. “We were together through the good and the bad, the happiest and the darkest of times.”
