Pete Davidson's Mom Urged Him to Take "the Garbageman Test" in Case SNL Didn't Work Out
The comedian also told Jimmy Fallon how he learned that he was hosting SNL's Season 49 premiere on October 14.
Guess who's back in the building: Pete Davidson sat down to chat with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon's Tuesday episode, and his commute this week wasn't a far one. On October 14, Davidson is set to host Saturday Night Live's Season 49 premiere, mere corridors away from Fallon's Studio 6B in 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Fallon greeted his fellow SNL alum with a sweet "I'm happy that we're friends," before launching into a catchup session that covered a wide range of topics including touring with John Mulaney, hosting SNL, and the time his mom made him take a sanitation test so he could become a Staten Island garbage collector if comedy didn't work out.
RELATED: John Mulaney and Pete Davidson Are Touring Together This Fall
Davidson's mom has been a presence in his past work and an ongoing source of inspiration and support, and he assured Fallon she'll be in the SNL audience come Saturday. "She's very excited—she's actually been on the show almost as many times as I have," Davidson joked.
Pete Davidson's Mom urged him to take "the garbageman test"
His mom couldn't have known how his comedy career would skyrocket, though—which is why she tried to make him take a sanitation test before he got famous. "When I got SNL, I called her and I was like, 'I'm gonna be on SNL mom. Holy crap, like, wow,'" Davidson recounted. "And she was like, 'Well, just so you know, the garbageman test is at the end of the month, just in case.'"
"So until about three years ago, she would ask me to take the garbageman test," Davidson said.
How Pete Davidson found out he was hosting SNL
The October 14 premiere will be Pete Davidson's first time hosting SNL, and his first appearance on the show since departing in 2022 after eight seasons as a cast member. Fallon pointed out that the last time he had Davidson on The Tonight Show, he was originally slated to host Season 48's May 6 episode before the season was cut short due to the WGA strike.
"It's funny, anytime I have something that I worked really hard on that I'm really proud of, either a national pandemic happens, and they're like, 'no premiere for you,'" Davidson laughed.
RELATED: Pete Davidson's Funniest SNL Sketches
And how did Davidson learn he'll be hosting? "Oh, I got a classic Lorne text," he said, launching into an impression of SNL's creator and executive producer. "He was like, 'There's a rumor going around that you're the host for the premiere.' And he goes, 'I guess it's true, because I started it.'"
"He's the best with the liners," Fallon and Davidson agreed.
