Unlike his supporter, the former Navy SEAL, who lost his eyes in an IED attack in Afghanistan, reveals that Pete and 'SNL' don't owe him an apology despite the insensitive joke.
- Nov 5, 2018
AceShowbiz - "Saturday Night Live" tackled midterm election in its November 2 episode with cast member Pete Davidson sharing his first impressions of midterm election canditates in the episode's Weekend Update. During the segment, the ex-fiance of Ariana Grande made fun of GOP congressional candidate Dan Crenshaw's battle wound.
The Texas Republican wears an eye patch after losing an eye while serving in the U.S. military. Of the former Navy SEAL's appearance, 24-year-old Pete joked, "This guy is kind of cool, Dan Crenshaw."
"Hold on," Pete continued. "You may be surprised to hear he’s a congressional candidate from Texas and not a hit man in a porno movie." The comedian then added, "I'm sorry, I know he lost his eye in war or whatever..."
His joke didn't seem to sit well with many people as a user deemed his joke "cheap, disgusting and classless." Another user added, " 'lost his eye in war or whatever.' ..... this is @snl - they address a cast members breakup as if it's of vital importance. but laugh at a vet."
Meghan McCain also weighed in on the issue. "This is really awful and incredibly tone-deaf and offensive to veterans, their families and all who serve. Come on SNL, do better," "The View" co-host tweeted.
This is really awful and incredibly tone-deaf and offensive to veterans, their families and all who serve. Come on SNL, do better. https://t.co/9WsBg0qEpe
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) November 4, 2018
One other, meanwhile, demanded Pete to issue an apology. "@DanCrenshawTX is a war hero who has sacrificed so much for our country. Pete Davidson's comments were abhorrent and SNL owes @DanCrenshawTX and all Veterans an apology," a Texas Land Commissioner wrote on Twitter.
Dan himself had responded to the "SNL" joke. Tweeting on his account, "Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl recognizes that vets don't deserve to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes."
But unlike his supporter, the vet revealed that Pete and "SNL" didn't owe him an apology despite the insensitive joke. "I want us to get away from this culture where we demand an apology every time someone misspeaks," he told TMZ.
"I think that would be very healthy for our nation to go in that direction. We don't need to be outwardly outraged. I don't need to demand apologies from them. They can do whatever they want, you know. They are feeling the heat from around the country right now and that's fine," he added.
But Dan offered the NBC long-running comedy a tip. "I'd like hime and 'Saturday Night Live' to recognize that veterans across the country probably don't feel as though their wounds [that] they received in battle should be the subject of a bad punch line." He concluded by saying that Pete's joke wasn't even funny and was just "mean-spirited."
