Pete Davidson has shared that the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which claimed his father’s life, feels more difficult this year due to his own fatherhood. Davidson’s father, Scott Davidson, was a New York City firefighter who died at age 33 while responding to the World Trade Center attack. Davidson, now 33 himself, welcomed a daughter named Scottie in December 2024, a tribute to his late father.
In an interview with the New York Post, Davidson described the anniversary as ‘extra tough, but also extra beautiful’ because he will spend the day with his daughter. He noted the emotional weight of reaching the same age his father was when he died, saying, ‘I thought: “Oh, he was an old guy. He’s 33.” But now I’m there, and I have a kid, and that would be like my kid not having her dad.’
Davidson also shared that he looks forward to sharing memories of his father with Scottie, including a photograph of his father that Scottie would stare at as a newborn. He recalled his father as ‘f-----g hilarious’, describing him as physically fit, a frequent smoker, and the driver of a Subaru Impreza. Davidson’s father was part of the first fire truck crew to respond to the World Trade Center, and his entire unit perished in the attack.
The comedian is participating in a comedy benefit at Madison Square Garden with Jon Stewart to mark the 25th anniversary. Davidson expressed a desire to ‘reclaim’ the day through humor, saying he aims to avoid the sadness often associated with 9/11 documentaries. He added, ‘It’ll be very healing and special’ to spend the anniversary with his daughter.
Davidson and his former partner, Elsie Hewitt, named their daughter Scottie as a tribute to his father, whose nickname was Scotty. Hewitt also embraced the name choice, with Davidson noting, ‘It was really cool that Elsie also wanted to name her Scottie.’