What happened to Pete Davidson's father? Comedian reveals tragic family story as he opens up about grandfather's abuse

Pete Davidson's father, Scott Davidson, was a firefighter who died in the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers when he was just 7 years old. The 31-year-old comedian, while performing a stand-up gig at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, opened up about his childhood, including life after his father's death and his maternal grandfather abusing him.

As per a report by the Daily Mail, Pete Davidson talked about his "dying" grandfather, revealing that he had lung cancer.

"He got the lung cancer and I'm not that close with him. I'm close with my dad's dad. I don't like my mom's dad. He used to beat the s**t out of me and I don't like him very much."

He continued to describe his grandfather, saying,

"He's old school, he's very Irish. You know those old Irish Jews that are so Irish, they're like pink, right? His veneers are somehow brown. He's just an old school dude, and he's dying."

Despite not being on good terms with his maternal grandfather, Pete revealed that he wants to "be there" for his mom, Amy Waters Davidson,

"I want to be there for my mom. She's sad about it."

In contrast to his mother, Davidson expressed that he is "low-key thrilled" and hopes that his grandfather "f**king rots," which makes the situation "tough".

"I don't want to be rude to my mom. I think I have the best mom in the world. I'm very, very lucky. So I've been trying to remember a good time that me and my grandpa had so I could hold onto it."

"My dad was a great guy," says Pete Davidson

Pete Davidson has been opening up about his relationship with his family lately, and earlier in an April 2025 interview with People, he opened up about the loss of his father, who died during the 9/11 attacks. While talking about confidence, he said,

"But I had a really sh**y childhood - and, like, the worst thing that ever could have happened to me, happened to me when I was seven."

Pete Davidson has been vocal about his dad's death and in a November 2024 interview, as well. He discussed how talking about him in his comedy is a way to "keep that memory alive".

"People are like, 'He's probably talking about his dead dad all the time. To act like I'm like this, to 'feel bad for me' is a very bad thing and it makes me feel that way. I'm trying to joke because I like to keep that memory alive. My dad was a great guy."

Recalling the time when news of his dad's death was broken to him, Pete said that his dad was supposed to pick him up from school,

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"My mother called me. She didn't tell me what was going on for three days. She kept telling me that dad was at work, I had no idea."

He added that his mother didn't allow him to watch TV, and he was confused since he "didn't do anything" to deserve a punishment. However, one night when he turned on the TV, he saw his dad being identified as one of the firefighters who had passed away in the 9/11 attacks.

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