Saturday Night Live Fans Confused New Cast Member With Pete Davidson in Blackface

Entertainment

Former 'Saturday Night Live' cast member Pete Davidson left the show, but some audiences initially thought that they saw him in blackface on the show.

Published on October 4, 2022

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson rose to high levels of fame thanks to his work on the late-night sketch comedy show. However, even the biggest fan favorites from the television show have to move on at some point to pursue other career opportunities. Some Saturday Night Live fans thought new cast member Devon Walker was Davidson in blackface, which initially shocked them.

Pete Davidson left ‘Saturday Night Live’

Davidson first joined Saturday Night Live in 2014, where he remained for eight seasons until 2022. He certainly wasn’t a stranger to comedy by that point, as he had guest roles in other television shows. The early 2010s found him starring in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Friends of the People, and Guy Code. However, those appearances would ultimately lead to his own comedy specials and a spot on one of the most prestigious comedy casts in the world.

Much like popular Saturday Night Live cast members before Davidson, he made his way into feature films. He starred in the lead role of 2020’s The King of Staten Island and a smaller role in 2022’s Bodies Bodies Bodies. Season 47 of the sketch show marked his final season on the show as he moves forward with his career in other areas.

‘Saturday Night Live’ fans confused Devon Walker for Pete Davidson in blackface

A Saturday Night Live fan took to Reddit to express their initial confusion about why season 48 would put Davidson in blackface. It’s clear that it’s not him and is actually new cast member Devon Walker. However, some other Redditors mentioned that they were also initially taken aback when he entered the show.

“My wife literally looked at me and said, ‘Is that Pete Davidson?'” one Redditor wrote. “And I assured her there was no way they were gonna be doing blackface on a national broadcast.”

Nevertheless, another commenter pointed out that Fred Armisen played former President Barack Obama for years.

Other commenters felt relief that they weren’t the only person to think that Davidson was in blackface on Saturday Night Live. Meanwhile, some thought that they were going to make a joke about it because of some perceived similarities between the two.

“The crowd reaction seemed like they thought the same thing,” another Redditor wrote. “Literally took me 10 seconds before I realized it definitely wasn’t him.”

Devon Walker joined the cast along with 3 other members

Saturday Night Live might not have Davidson returning, but it does include a new group of cast members. The new players include Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Walker. They each provide something unique to the cast, although some audiences were unsure about the massive change in casting.

Walker has past experience as a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor, making him a natural fit for the late-night sketch show. Before joining the cast, he was a writer for Netflix’s comedic animated series called Big Mouth.

Longtime fans felt conflicted regarding the start of season 48, but many hold high hopes that it will improve over time. Cast changes can take some time for audiences to warm up to, which even happened when previous player Adam Sandler joined the show to low ratings.

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