Here's How 'Saturday Night Live' Finally Addressed Pete Davidson's Absence

One Saturday Night Live cast member’s absence can be linked to the Demogorgon. Pete Davidson’s absence from SNL was finally addressed in the Oct. 12 episode of the NBC sketch comedy series. In the episode hosted by Stranger Things’ David Harbour, fans learned that Davidson was stuck in none other than the Upside Down. During his monologue, Harbour enters a portal to the hellish atmosphere that houses the Demogorgon in the sci-fi series backstage and unexpectedly runs into Davidson.

“No, it can’t be. Pete Davidson? Is this where you’ve been, in the Upside Down?” Harbour asks the comedian. Davidson then replies, “Yeah, dude. It’s lit, right?” When Harbour asks Davidson to return to the stage with him to do the show, the comedian presses him on the fate of his fictional counterpart, Jim Hopper. “I’m not exactly authorized… just watch the show,” Harbour responds.

The sketch comes after Davidson missed the first two episodes of Season 45, which premiered on Sept. 28. In last week’s episode, Colin Jost referenced Davidson’s continued absence when he read a headline about a music festival in the “Weekend Update” segment. “A man who drove his car to a music festival still cannot remember where he parked his car a week after the show,” Jost said. “Well, we hope you make it back soon, Pete.”

All jokes aside, there’s a reason Davidson has been MIA in the last few weeks. The comedian has been in Atlanta, Georgia wrapping up filming for James Gunn’s upcoming Suicide Squad sequel, as per Deadline. The publication first reported on Sept. 3 that the SNL actor had been in talks to join the film, set to be released on Aug. 6, 2021. Details surrounding Davidson’s character have been scarce, but Gunn confirmed Davidson’s involvement when he tweeted a photo that listed the film’s full cast on Sept. 13. On Instagram on Sept. 28, Gunn shared a photo with the Suicide Squad cast after a screening of the new Joker film with Davidson in tow.

In SNL's Oct. 12 episode, Davidson also made an appearance on “Weekend Update” and addressed Jost’s music festival jab from last week. "I did hear your little joke about me last week,” he said to Jost. “Your gentle little ribbing, calling me that guy who lost his car at a music festival for a week, which I looked up. It was not me. And, by the way, Colin, I don't know if you've seen Joker, but I think you should start being way nicer to me.”

In addition to his upcoming role in the Suicide Squad sequel, Davidson has a series of other projects in the works. He'll next star in the crime comedy The Jesus Rolls, in theaters on Oct. 16. More so, his autobiographical comedy drama Staten Island, which he co-wrote with Judd Apatow, is currently in post-production, according to his IMDb page. The comedian is also on a stand-up tour across America, set to conclude in November in Illinois, meaning the comedian's career is busier than ever.