Pete Davidson And Colin Jost's 9/11 Experience Is More Similar Than We Realized
People know Colin Jost and Pete Davidson from "Saturday Night Live" as they make the country laugh every weekend with comedy sketches. Jost is known for being a co-anchor of "Weekend Update" alongside Michael Che, and Davidson was known for being the "resident young person" of the show, making appearances in various sketches as well as on "Weekend Update." The two Staten Island natives are also known for their high-profile relationships — Davidson being linked to Ariana Grande and Kim Kardashian, and Jost being married to Scarlett Johansson.
Pete's father, Scott Davidson, was an athlete — playing both basketball and baseball — a coach, a teacher, and a bartender before he started working as a firefighter for the New York City Fire Department. It was revealed that it was a lifelong dream for Scott to join the fire department, as he believed it was one of the most important jobs in the country. Jost's mother, Dr. Kerry Kelly, worked as a medical officer for the NYFD. In the "Weekend Update" anchor's memoir, he mentioned that he and his younger brother would often be tucked into bed by his mom before she had to tend to the firefighters who needed medical assistance on-scene.
As both Davidson's father and Jost's mother worked for the fire department in New York, and they both became heroes during 9/11.
Colin Jost's mother and Pete Davidson's father were both working in the fire department during the 9/11 attack
"Saturday Night Live's" Colin Jost wrote a chapter about his mother, Kerry Kelly, in his memoir. He mentioned that September 11, 2001, was the first day of his sophomore year at Harvard University, and his mother was attempting to save lives while the nation was watching the 9/11 attack unfold. He added that she tried to save the first man who died from the terrorist attack, and she survived both towers collapsing.
The former chief medical officer admitted that she doesn't remember when she first talked to her son after the incident happened. "I think I depended on family members to tell each other I was okay," she said in a Q1043 New York interview in April 2021. She mentioned that she does remember when she went to Harvard to visit Jost to give him a hug, and to teach him — as well as herself — that there was a "life outside of 9/11."
Unfortunately, Jost's future SNL cast member at the time, Pete Davidson, lost his father during the attack. He was reportedly running up the stairs of the Marriott World Trade Center hotel, trying to save people, when the building collapsed. The comedian was only seven years old. Davidson has since been learning how to cope with the loss of his father, and he tattooed his father's badge number on his arm.
Colin Jost's mother has a lot of love for Pete Davidson after his father's death
Colin Jost revealed on the "Howard Stern Show" that his mother knew Pete Davidson's late father, as they both worked for the New York City Fire Department. "If someone dies in the line of duty, she had to break the news to the families of the firefighters," the "Weekend Update" anchor said, indicating that his mom most likely had to tell the family of a young Davidson about his father's death. "Because of that, there's certain people she bonds with. She cares about Pete beyond his comedy career."
And it seems that care from Jost's mom and the comedian himself has meant a lot to Davidson. The "King of Staten Island" star mentioned in a Gold Derby interview that Kenan Thompson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Jost were the "Saturday Night Live" cast members who "stood out" to him, as he leaned on them for help and support when he needed it. "They've always just been — from the jump — there for me," he said, adding that while every cast member has been supportive, those few gave him "extra love" during difficult phases in his life.
Besides working on SNL together, Jost and Davidson invested in a company called Staten Island Entertainment, alongside Michael Che, to help bring baseball back to the New York borough. The two also bought a Staten Island Ferry, and they plan to make it an entertainment venue with food, drinks, and comedy.