People Are Pissed About Pete Davidson’s Pre-Ariana Manchester Bombing Joke

It’s hard to remember a time when Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande weren’t dating (I know it’s only been a few months, but the news have been so saturated with the two that it’s felt like decades), but there was definitely a time when they two weren’t as close as they are today. Even back then, though, Davidson managed to slip Grande into a few of his comedy sets, some of which didn’t go over very well with his audience.

One in particular poked fun at the Manchester bombing, which, if you recall, occurred at an Ariana Grande concert.

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At the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles in 2017, only five months after the attack (and about a year before he started dating Grande), Davidson had joked about Ariana’s level of fame, saying, “Britney Spears didn’t have a terrorist attack at her concert.”

Some people were definitely upset about the joke, especially during the time of the set. According to The Mirror, one onlooker said, “It drew gasps from the crowd and everyone squirmed in their seats, the event five months earlier was still pretty fresh, and there were plenty of British tourists in the crowd.”

Charlotte Hodgson, whose daughter was killed in the attack, called the joke “disgusting” when she put the comedian on blast.

However, sources close to Pete told People that the joke was taken out of context, and that a lot of his material poked fun at tragedy.

“He lost his dad in 9/11 and is close with other victims of violent tragedies,” the source explained. “As a way of coping he turns to humor.”

I have a feeling Ariana is going to be pretty understanding about this. Though the tragedy definitely left its mark on the singer, she seems to be in the process of healing and has reportedly bonded with Davidson over the traumatic events in their lives. In fact, I wouldn’t be all too surprised if she appreciated his sense of humor.

Still, what are the odds?