Pete Davidson jokes about Ariana Grande break-up: ‘I’ve been covering a bunch of tattoos’

US comedian Pete Davidson has broken his silence on the most prominent celebrity break-up of the year: his own.

Davidson, who is known for his sketch performances on Saturday Night Live, was in a high-profile relationship with pop star Ariana Grande earlier this year. In mid-June, they made headlines upon announcing their engagement, a few weeks after the beginning of their relationship.

Last weekend, news broke that the pair had called the engagement off. A few days later, Grande posted on her Instagram feed that "It's very sad and we're all tryin very hard to keep goin".

Davidson has taken a less subtle approach, however, by addressing the matter during a comedy fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Davidson joked: “Well, as you can tell, I don’t want to be here. There’s a lot going on. Anybody have any open rooms? Anybody looking for a roommate?”

Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande in June - Credit: Robert Kamau
Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande in JuneCredit: Robert Kamau

Referring to the handful of tattoos he got in tribute to Grande during his relationship (the comedian had the pop star's bunny ears trademark done behind his ear, which was later adapted into a heart after the split; the word "reborn" on his thumb; a portrait of their pet pig on his torso as well as a cloud and her initials on his finger), Davidson said: “I’ve been covering a bunch of tattoos, that’s fun. I’m f------ 0-for-2 in the tattoo department. Yeah, I’m afraid to get my mom tattooed on me because she’d leave.”

The show followed one cancelled by Davidson at Temple University last week, for which he cited “personal reasons.”

Pete Davidson in September  - NBCUniversal
Pete Davidson in September - NBCUniversal