25 years on, Pete Davidson reflects on losing his firefighter dad during 9/11

Pete Davidson has reflected on losing his dad during 9/11, and how the anniversary feels for him now he is a dad himself.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the tragic New York World Trade Centre attacks, in which a total of 343 firefighters from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) were killed. One of those was Scott Davidson, Pete’s father. 

Pete, who is about to turn 33, is now the same age as his dad was when he lost his life. He now has a child of his own, a daughter named Scottie, who he named after his dad. 

“I thought, ‘Oh, he was an old guy. He’s 33’,” Pete Davidson told The Post, speaking of his dad. “But now I’m there, and I have a kid, and that would be like my kid not having her dad. So this year is extra tough, but also extra beautiful because I get to spend the day with Scottie. It’ll be very healing and special.”

He added: “It was really cool that Elsie [Hewitt, Scottie’s mum] also wanted to name her Scottie. My dad’s name was Scott, but his nickname was Scotty. When she arrived, we both looked at her and were like, ‘She looks like a Scottie.’ It’s nice to keep that name alive.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Pete said his daughter Scottie would “always stare” at one particular photo of her grandad, when she was being bathed in the sink as a baby, below where the photo was. Even after he moved house and the photo was somewhere else, she was still drawn to it. 

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“I don’t know what I believe in, but I like to think that his presence is somehow around,” he said, before explaining he’s not yet decided how to discuss what happened with his daughter. 

“Luckily, I have some time,” he said. “Honestly, this year is way harder than it’s been in a really long time because I have Scottie, and now I’m the age that my dad was when he died. So I’m just kind of like, ‘Holy sh*t.’ I have old videos and pictures and stuff, and I’m excited to share the classic stories I have of him with her.” 

Pete Davidson went on to say that part of being a New Yorker is to strive to continue to honour the lives of those who died in the tragedy, as well as surviving first responders.

“You honour those people and always appreciate those guys. Those are real-life heroes,” he said. “If there’s anything I could ever do for anyone, I would do it. I really enjoy it, and I like to honour my dad and keep that memory alive.”

He continues to give back to the local community, and this year is teaming up with friend Jon Stewart to host NYC Still Rising After 25 Years: A 9/11 Comedy Benefit, at Madison Square Garden. Proceeds from the event are going to several charities that support first responders from that day and their families.

“The one thing I know our city and our state are really good at is coming together and having other people’s backs when the chips are down,” Pete concluded. “New York has changed since I was a kid. It’s damn near unrecognisable. But we show up for each other. At the end of the day, that’s what New York is.”

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