Pete Davidson says this year’s 9/11 anniversary hits differently because he is now the same age Scott Davidson was when he died. He also has a daughter, Scottie, to spend the day with, which makes the date feel both heavier and more grounded for him.
“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 s–t,’” he said. Davidson turns 33 in November, while Scottie arrived in December with Elsie Hewitt.
Scottie in December
Davidson said he and Elsie Hewitt both wanted the name Scottie. “It was really cool that Elsie also wanted to name her Scottie,” he said, adding that his father’s name was Scott and 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.”
He said the name carries more than sentiment. Davidson said Scottie stares at a picture of Scott Davidson above the sink during bath time, and after he moved the photo to another part of Brooklyn, she still turns her head toward it when he walks around. “I don’t know what I believe in, but I like to think that his presence is somehow around,” he said.
Brooklyn and 9/11
Scott Davidson was a New York City firefighter with Ladder Company 118 in Brooklyn Heights, and Pete Davidson was 7 years old when he lost his father on 9/11. That family history is why the anniversary is more than a public commemoration for him; it now runs through a household with a child carrying the same name.
Davidson said this year is “extra tough” but also “extra beautiful” because he gets to spend the day with Scottie. He said he has not yet worked out how he will explain Scott Davidson’s death to her, but added, “Luckily, I have some time,” and said he is “excited to share the classic stories” he has about his father.
Madison Square Garden on Sept. 10
Davidson and Jon Stewart are set to host NYC Still Rising After 25 Years: A 9/11 Comedy Benefit at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 10. The proceeds will go to charities that support first responders from that day and their families, and Davidson said the format lets the night stay serious in purpose without turning into a memorial service.
He has done the benefit circuit around previous 9/11 anniversaries with Stewart, including visits to firehouses and the Port Authority, but this year brings a sharper personal edge. Davidson is now old enough to measure his life against the one his father never got to finish, and he is doing it while raising Scottie under the same name that keeps coming back to him.
