Pete Davidson says public ‘sexualized’ him after Ariana Grande split because he is not ‘Glenn Powell handsome’

Pete Davidson wants people to talk about his art more than they do his personal life… more specifically, avoid commentary on his penis size.

The former Saturday Night Live star was on The Breakfast Club to discuss his new Amazon Prime Video action comedy The Pickup alongside Eddie Murphy. Right off the bat, host Charlamagne Tha God wanted to know how Davidson feels about all the attention his off-screen life has long attracted from tabloids.

It truly all started when Davidson was in a romantic relationship with Ariana Grande. Davidson recalled that relationship, telling the hosts, “Uh, it was I think it was like the New York Times or something when I started dating someone that I guess they considered out of my league, which I think everyone is out of my league, but you know, uh, they were like, ‘This guy must have big d— energy.’ And then someone confirmed it.”

The confirmation Davidson is talking about comes from a tweet Grande made about her album Sweetener. The Grammy Award-winning album has a song called “Pete Davidson,” and it came out when the two were one of the most talked-about couples in entertainment. Someone asked Grande how long Pete Davidson is — jokingly playing on the double entendre that could mean his penis or the song. Yahoo! reports that Grande played along and responded: “Like 10 inches? …oh f—…i mean…like a lil over a minute.”

Davidson now looks back at that point in his career with bittersweet feelings. The comedian told The Breakfast Club that he doesn’t want to victimize himself, but the focus on his body really made him embarrassed and sad. Davidson said the only reason people were interested in his personal life was because he’s not “Glen Powell handsome.”

Over the past few years, Davidson has been successful at rehabilitating his reputation in the media. He never truly did anything controversial per se, but the idea that after a public figure leaves a high-profile relationship they rebound with Davidson is now cemented in his fans’ minds. The comedian said that was hurtful. He went on to describe the internet as a generally evil place. Davidson said, “I don’t like how the internet is a place where anybody can s— on you and make anything up. I’ve worked really hard to get my brain to this place.”

At some point in the interview, Davidson asked the hosts how they think his sexualization would be treated if people sexualized a woman as much as they do him. The comedian reasoned that people would go on marches. Of course, this is a little reductive — women have been sexualized for a very long time, and famous ones more so — but his point still stands. It might actually be time to put Pete Davidson’s drama with Kanye West aside and his extensive dating life behind him. He’s an artist first. We need to discuss how his art contributes to culture.

And his personal life has since slowed down — the comedian is reportedly expecting his first child with girlfriend Elsie Hewitt.