Pete Davidson has broken his silence to defend ex-fiancée Ariana Grande from online trolls attacking her appearance.
The comedian, 32, said this week that the relentless scrutiny directed at the pop star, 33, is deeply unfair. “I don’t like it at all. It’s not cool,” he explained during the interview. “She’s a really strong person — I’ve witnessed it — and I don’t understand it.”
Davidson acknowledged that Grande has spent years in the public eye and can handle pressure, but he drew a hard line at the recent wave of criticism. “She’ll be okay, but I think it’s f–ked up,” he added.
The pair became engaged in 2018 after a whirlwind romance that played out under intense media attention. Their split later that year inspired Grande’s blockbuster single “Thank U, Next,” which topped charts worldwide and turned their breakup into cultural shorthand for graceful exits. Davidson confirmed they have long since moved past any tension. “I think Ariana’s f–king cool and immensely talented and an awesome girl,” he stressed. “We’re not texting or whatever, but we’re cool.”
Grande wrapped her “Eternal Sunshine” tour on September 1 and has since stepped back from music, telling a Chicago audience in August that the decision was made quietly long before she announced it. “The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing,” she said at the time. “It is something that I had decided to plan,” She added the plan was made “quietly, a long time ago.”
Davidson used the same Variety sit-down to air his own grievances about how his high-profile dating history has overshadowed his professional work. The New Yorker has been linked to Kate Beckinsale, Margaret Qualley, and Kim Kardashian since his relationship with Grande ended. “It’s been over a decade,” he pointed out. “My work and my relevance is super overlooked, and it’s confusing to me.”
He pushed back against the disproportionate focus on his personal life with visible frustration. “What the f–k do I have to do? And look, I get it — I’ve dated a lot of people. But so has everyone else!” he continued. “Everyone is f–king everyone in this business! Everyone! And for some reason it’s zeroed in on me.”
Davidson allowed that he bears some responsibility for the attention. “I can’t feel sorry for myself because I put myself in those situations, but everyone else is doing it,” he noted. “I was in my 20s. Am I not supposed to f–k around and do drugs and have fun and be in Hollywood like everybody else? Sorry, everyone!”
He singled out the Kardashian family for praise, recalling his time with Kim Kardashian with unexpected warmth. “One of the things I love about Kim and that whole family is they’re like, ‘This is what we do,'” he shared. “I found that very attractive and mature.”
Davidson is currently single after splitting from model Elsie Hewitt earlier this year. The former couple welcomed daughter Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson in December. Grande, meanwhile, is pivoting toward acting full-time and is scheduled to appear alongside Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in “Focker-In-Law” this November.