Pete Davidson opens up about ‘dark and scary’ mental health struggles

Actor and comedian said starring in The King of Staten Island was a ‘cleansing’ experience

Pete Davidson has opened up about his mental health struggles, and said that making the independent film The King of Staten Island was a “cleansing” experience for him.

In 2018, the Saturday Night Live star posted distressing messages on Instagram which prompted a check-up from authorities and an influx of supportive message from fans.

Reflecting on the period on CBS Sunday Morning, the 26-year-old comedian and actor said: “I got as close as you can get [to self-harming]. Just testing the waters.”

“Until I met the right treatments and met the right doctors and did all the work that you need to do to not feel that way, it got pretty dark and scary.”

Speaking about his on-stage persona, Davidson explained: “I was really confident as a comic because like you have to be.

“On stage is where I feel my most comfortable, but off stage, I never really thought I was a great comic or anything like that. I’m very self-hating.”

The King of Staten Island is partly based on Davidson’s own experiences dealing with mental health problems and the death of his father. The film also stars Marisa Tomei and Bill Burr.

“I really wanted this to be cleansing for me,” he said. ”I feel like I got to speak about it in the biggest way possible, and I could get me story out there. I feel like now, I can let it go.”

The King of Staten Island will be available to stream on 12 June, on Amazon Prime Video, Xfinity, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, and Fandango Now.

If anything in this article has affected you, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123. You can also contact the following organisations for confidential support: https://www.mind.org.uk/ --- https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/ --- http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth --- https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/