Pete Davidson Says Men Should Never Show Their Feet

The actor and comedian talks about Staten Island pizza, what he’s learned from John Mulaney and SNL’ paychecks.

Pete Davidson is an actor, comedian and New York City’s unofficial cultural ambassador to Staten Island. He often joked about his home borough during his eight seasons on “Saturday Night Live.” He co-wrote and starred in the semi-autobiographical movie “The King of Staten Island.” And in 2022, with his former “SNL” co-star Colin Jost, he bought a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry for $280,000; the two plan to turn it into an entertainment venue after a $34 million renovation.

When he’s trying to get people to visit Staten Island, the 31-year-old typically leads with its pizza. “You could go anywhere and get the best slice,” he said. “Lee’s, Denino’s, Campania, Nonna’s, Villa Monte, Goodfella’s.”

But for him, the best part of the borough is that it never changes. “In all these other places, people move to a neighborhood and gentrify it, they put Insomnia Cookies over there and call it a day,” he said. “But in Staten Island, it’s all homegrown businesses, really hardworking people. It’s the only place in New York where people just leave me alone.”

For the last year or so, Davidson has been embracing that normalcy, laying low and not doing interviews. Earlier this month, he made his first red carpet-appearance in a year and a half, ahead of a handful of movie projects coming out. Here, he discusses working with Eddie Murphy, his new workout routine and his goals for the new year.

What time do you get up on Mondays, and what’s the first thing you do after waking up?

If I’m not working, I probably get up around 10:30 a.m. Then I try to work out immediately. I just started working out.

What does your new exercise routine look like?