Pete Davidson’s mom told him in rehab worst fear was learning he died

Pete Davidson is opening up about the heartbreaking moment he had with his mother that inspired his sobriety.

The Saturday Night Live alum, who has been candid about his substance abuse and mental health struggles over the years, recently reflected on how his close bond with his mom, Amy Waters Davidson, gave him the kick he needed at the lowest point in his life.

During an appearance this week on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast, Davidson recalled how his downward spiral of addiction “got to the point where people I f—ing loved” started to leave him — everyone except his mother.

“My mom’s the most supportive person in the world,” he said on the show. “And it got to a point where she called me when I was in rehab and she was like, ‘My biggest fear is that I will turn on the news and I’ll see that my son has died.'”

The actor-comedian admitted that hearing those words sparked a bleak moment of realization. “She’s never been like that, you know, because she’s so supportive and just wants to always have positivity around,” he said.

The host replied that Amy’s fear made sense since she had “already lost something she loved,” referring to the death of her husband and Davidson’s father, Scott Davidson, a firefighter who died on Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, Davidson was just 7 years old.

“Exactly,” Davidson answered. “And that f—ing killed me. So like I was like, ‘Alright, you can’t die until she’s dead, at least,'” Davidson said. “My mom’s the most supportive person in the world. She’s a cool lady. The best.”

“She’s just a sweet lady,” he added. “She never dated after my dad died — just raised me and my sister [Casey Davidson] alone and worked hard… I’d have to be a f—ing sociopath to not get my s— together.”

Davidson checked into a wellness facility in July 2024, a year after he had sought treatment to address issues related to PTSD and borderline personality disorder.

The comedian credited getting clean to his close bond with his family and various supportive people in his life, including SNL cast members like Colin Jost.

“Anybody that’s actually loved me and cared about me has gotten the worst wrath from me,” Davidson admitted. “I’m a lucky guy in that aspect. I have a really supportive, cool family that has never asked me for anything. And they should [and] they could and they don’t, and a lot of them need stuff.”

Davidson added that he’s especially happy to have gone through the lowest of lows, as he’s now welcoming the highest of highs — his first child with his girlfriend, Elsie Hewitt.

The star of the upcoming horror movie The Home has been open about his relationship with Hewitt since March. The couple were recently spotted cheering on the New York Knicks and supporting Dave Navarro at his wedding in Scotland.

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Davidson told Von that he’s “thrilled” about becoming a father, adding that “there was no f—ing way that was possible” before he got sober.

“I’m really grateful it happened now — and I wasn’t looking for a relationship or… obviously I wanted to, but I wasn’t looking to have a baby,” he said. “And it all just kind of happened at once and it’s been awesome.”

Watch Davidson’s appearance on This Past Weekend above.