The comedian revealed he was high on ketamine while escorting his then-fianceé to the funeral in a new Netflix special.
Pete Davidson dropped his third hour-long stand-up special on Tuesday, titled Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli, in which the former Saturday Night Live cast member delivers jokes about everything from navigating his stalker to a confusing childhood crush on Leonardo DiCaprio and his adventures gone awry while under the influence.
Davidson begin his stroll down memory lane reflecting on his 30th birthday last November, noting that entering a new decade of his life meant that he "had to stop doing hard drugs" because "you can't be a drug addict in your 30s."
He reveals that he had been taking ketamine, a drug he described as "magical," for about "two or three years." Looking back, Davidson says it is "embarrassing when you're not on ketamine anymore," since he now had to confront his actions from when he was taking the drug.
One such incident occurred during the 2018 funeral of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.
Franklin died on Aug. 16, 2018, at age 76, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was laid to rest in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan, following a celebration of her life at the 4,000-seat Greater Grace Temple, where she was honored for more than six hours with 18 performers and more than 15 speakers.
Davidson was there as the guest of his then-fiancée, Ariana Grande, who later wowed the crowd with her rendition of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."
While the internet had a field day about Davidson's presence, the comedian reveals that he had been high on ketamine at the time and disassociating.
"It's embarrassing when you're not on ketamine anymore, though... I'm embarrassed," he shares in the special. "I was out and about like that. That's not cool, you know? I was at funerals like that. That's f**ked up, right? I was at Aretha Franklin's funeral like that. Yeah, I have to live with that. You know what I mean? She'll never know, but still, that's not the point. You know what I mean?"
Davidson tells his audience that Franklin herself would probably have wondered why he was at her funeral, especially considering the "joke" he made to her family during the service.
"It's embarrassing," Davidson recalls. "I was so high, I thought it'd be a good idea to go up to her family and go, 'Hey, I'm just here to pay my R-E-S-P-E-C-T...s.'"
The comment references Franklin's "Respect," one of the most popular songs ever recorded by the late singer. She won two GRAMMYs for her 1967 recording, and the song's name later became the title for the 2021 biopic in which Jennifer Hudson portrayed Franklin.
Davidson has often been candid about his drug use and struggles with mental health in his comedy. Last June, the comedian entered rehab to take care of his mental health weeks after being charged with misdemeanor reckless driving following a March car crash.
A source told ET that the SNL alum was in rehab for mental health issues and is working to "get back on track."
"Pete Davidson has been in rehab and is being treated for mental health issues," the source said. "He can be manic and wasn't sleeping well or taking good care of himself, so he decided to go to get help, take a break, and get back on track. Pete is focusing on himself."
Page Six, who was first to report the news, said Davidson was being treated at the same Pennsylvania facility where his friend and fellow comedian John Mulaney sought help for substance abuse issues.
Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli is available to stream on Netflix.
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