The comedian also revealed how he and his daughter Scottie feel his late dad’s presence.

Pete Davidson says the 25th anniversary of dad’s death on 9/11 is ‘extra tough’ and ‘extra beautiful’

The comedian also revealed how he and his daughter Scottie feel his late dad’s presence.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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September 11, 2026 1:39 p.m. ET

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Pete Davidson at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival Presents: The Roast of Kevin Hart in Inglewood in May 2026. Credit:

Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty

- Pete Davidson opened up about how the 25th anniversary of his dad’s death on 9/11 is different this year as a father himself.

- He and ex Elsie Hewitt named their daughter Scottie after Davidson’s dad, New York City firefighter Scott Davidson.

- “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.”

The 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks is bittersweet for Pete Davidson.

The comedian reflected on the the death of his father, New York City firefighter Scott Davidson, in the lens of being a father himself now. Davidson and ex Elsie Hewitt welcomed baby girl Scottie Rose in December.

“I thought, ‘Oh, he was an old guy. He’s 33,’” Davidson told *The New York Post* of the age his father died. “But now I’m there, and I have a kid, and that would be like my kid not having her dad.”

Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in lower Manhattan, Davidson admitted that this anniversary was particularly tough. “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---,’” he said.

Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson, Elsie Hewitt and Pete Davidson’s daughter.

Elsie Hewitt/Instagram

Despite this realization, Davidson has Scottie this time around for the anniversary of his dad’s death. “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.”

The comedian has been embracing dad life since welcoming Scottie. He told PEOPLE in March that fatherhood is “exhausting and rewarding and cute.”

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Davidson also spoke about naming his daughter after his late father. “It was really cool that Elsie also wanted to name her Scottie,” he told *The New York Post*.

“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.”

The *Saturday Night Live** *alum also mentioned how he and his daughter feel his dad’s presence. “When Scottie was first born, we’d give her a bath in the sink, and there’s a picture of my dad above the sink. She would always stare at it,” he explained, adding that he was unsure if she understood what she was looking at.

Pete Davidson’s dad Scott Davidson.

Casey Davidson/Instagram

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“You’re like, ‘I don’t know if that’s because that’s the only picture there and she’s brand new and just observing things.’ But then I moved back to Brooklyn and put the picture in a different location. When I walk around, Scottie always turns her head and looks at him.”

Added Davidson, “I don’t know what I believe in, but I like to think that his presence is somehow around.”

Pete Davidson in New York in September 2026.

Mark Sagliocco/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Davidson participated in the NYC Still Rising After 25 Years: A 9/11 Comedy Benefit on Thursday evening at Madison Square Garden, which also featured Jon Stewart, Aziz Ansari, Nate Bargatze, Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Ronny Chieng, Shane Gillis, Nikki Glaser, Josh Johnson, and Cipha Sounds.

He called his longtime friend Stewart “someone who’s so New York and represents the tristate area — and is just the barometer of goodwill. We’re pals. We did the 20th anniversary at the Garden, and we had every great comic. It was such a special night.”

Proceeds for the comedy event went to several charities that support first responders affected by 9/11 and their families.

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