Why are Pete Davidson’s eyes black?

Pete Davidson is known for his jokes, his roasts, and his high-profile love life. But the 28-year-old comedian is also known for something he has little control over: the dark circles around his eyes. 

The former SNL star first received hate for it back in 2018 when Barstool Sports, a sports and pop culture blog, tweeted an article titled Does Pete Davidson have butthole eyes?

The piece immediately came under fire from Davidson’s then-fiancé, Ariana Grande, who commented on Barstool Sports’ lack of decorum saying “Y’all do kno this man has an auto immune disease….right? Like, you do understand what you’re doing when u do this right? Jus wanna make sure.”

The entertainment site issued an apology a year later, but the damage was done. People couldn’t unsee Pete Davidson’s “butthole eyes,” and the term has regretfully followed the comedian around ever since. Davidson has openly addressed the term, mostly to scoff at it, but curiosity has been piqued and fans genuinely want to know if it’s related to anything serious. 

Why are Pete Davidson’s eyes black?

There’s been a lot of speculation regarding Davidson’s eyes, but the only time the comedian has ever formally addressed the issue (sort of) was in 2019 on Netflix is a Joke with Tan France, the resident fashion guru from Queer Eye. As it turns out, Ariana Grande was on the right track. 

When trying to find a suitable outfit for Davidson to wear, France said he wanted to put Davidson in something that would highlight… his…“Yeah? You’re going to bring out my nice butthole eyes?” Davidson asked. “People say I have butthole eyes because I don’t sleep very much and I have Crohns, so my eyes turn different colors. But I like it. I like my eyes. I like looking like a racoon. No, seriously. Everybody else’s eyes are regular as fu**, and I look sick and scary.” 

Davidson does, in fact, have Crohn’s Disease, a medical condition that affects the lining of a person’s digestive tract. It’s a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which according to Mayo Clinic can “lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.”

Davidson was also diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, a form of depression that is no laughing matter. Davidson has openly discussed the condition on SNL after getting diagnosed in 2017. Because sleep disturbances are commonly associated with borderline personality disorder, it’s understandable how that, in conjunction with Crohn’s Disease could lead to discoloration around the eyes.

Davidson has not addressed the color of his eyes since his appearance on Netflix is a Joke, and understandably so — after all, there are much more important things to discuss, like his relationship to Kim Kardashian and his upcoming projects.