Pete Davidson’s Wounded Veteran Joke on ‘Saturday Night Live’ Draws Criticisms and Fury From Republicans
Pete Davidson is facing the fury of Republicans after joking on “Saturday Night Live” about GOP House of Representatives candidate Dan Crenshaw’s appearance. Crenshaw is a former Navy SEAL who did five tours of duty and now wears an eyepatch after losing his right eye in an IED blast in 2012.
Davidson’s Crenshaw joke occurred during the comedian’s appearance on “Weekend Update.” Davidson was brought on to give his “first impressions” of Senate and House of Representative candidates in the upcoming election. When a photo of Crenshaw appeared, Davidson joked, “You may be surprised to hear he’s a congressional candidate from Texas, and not a hitman in a porno movie.
“I’m sorry, I know he lost his eye in war,” Davidson continued. “Whatever.”
Crenshaw responded to the joke on social media, writing, “Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope ‘SNL’ recognizes that vets don’t deserve to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes.”
Jack Pandol, the spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, had even harsher words for Davidson (via Deadline). Referencing Davidson’s recent split from Ariana Grande, Pandol wrote, “Getting dumped by your pop star girlfriend is no excuse for lashing out at a decorated war hero who lost his eye serving our country.”
“Pete Davidson and NBC should immediately apologize to Dan, and to the millions of veterans and military families who tune in every weekend,” Pandol’s statement concluded, “because they’re not laughing.”
Some right wing journalists are even calling for a boycott against “Saturday Night Live” and NBC over Davidson’s joke. You can watch Davidson’s entire “Weekend Upset’ set in the video embed below.
Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl recognizes that vets don’t deserve to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes.
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) November 4, 2018
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