Pete Davidson Jokes He’s A “Survivor” Of Dating Kim Kardashian

Dating a Kardashian apparently comes with its own unofficial veterans club. Looking back on his relationship with Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson joked that making it through the experience put him among a select group of men who understand exactly what comes with entering that family’s orbit.

“I’m one of the survivors — the few and the proud. We’re like the Marines,” Davidson told Variety. “Look, man, that’s a really tough atmosphere if you’re not game. One of the things I love about Kim and that whole family is they’re like, ‘This is what we do.’ I found that very attractive and mature.

“And I was never subjected to anything I didn’t want to be a part of. She was super respectful of all of it, but the craze of that lifestyle — being followed everywhere, having security and looking over your shoulder — for a guy with mental stuff, and at the time drug problems, was a little too much for me. But we’re cool, and I have a lot of love for her, and I knew what I was getting into.”

The “survivor” joke sounds like a dig without the context that follows. Davidson was actually complimentary about Kardashian, making a point to separate his feelings about her from the level of attention attached to her life. The two started dating after Kardashian hosted Saturday Night Live in October 2021, where they kissed during an Aladdin sketch, and split in August 2022 after roughly nine months together. Davidson now says they remain on good terms years later.

The scrutiny surrounding Kardashian became considerably harder to manage once Ye began publicly targeting Davidson. The rapper repeatedly attacked him online and eventually carried the feud into his music. His “Eazy” video notoriously depicted a clay version of Davidson being kidnapped and buried.

Davidson told Variety that the attacks affected him, especially because his mental health struggles were already public. Still, he expressed some empathy for Kanye West while looking back on the situation, pointing to the pressures of fame and the loss of a parent. Davidson also joked that he may have “cleared the path” for whoever Kardashian dated after him because the first man she became involved with following Ye was probably going to take the brunt of that anger.

None of it appears to have changed how Davidson feels about Kardashian herself. His takeaway is less about regretting the relationship than realizing the lifestyle around it wasn't sustainable for him. In his telling, Kim was never hiding what came with being part of her world. Pete simply learned he did not want to live in it.