The Truth About Pete Davidson's Chronic Illness

Pete Davidson may be most famous for being a funny man on Saturday Night Live — and for being Ariana Grande's ex-fiancé — but he also happens to be among many stars who deal with life-altering diseases. Davidson has Crohn's Disease, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, "is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and malnutrition." Health notes that "Crohn's disease affects an estimated 780,000 people in the United States and may be partly genetic."

Thankfully, the comedian has found a way to manage his condition. During a 2018 interview on The Howard Stern Show (via Inverse,) Davidson said cannabis "helps more than you can imagine." He also told High Times in 2016 that despite being prescribed medicines by doctors, he found that "weed would be the only thing that would help [him] eat." He said that without the help of cannabis, he wouldn't be able to work or do SNL "or do anything really." According to Inverse, research has shown "that marijuana might exert its beneficial effects by adjusting the microbial balance in the guts of people with these diseases, thereby reducing inflammation and pain."

However, Davidson has reportedly had to deal with disgraced actor Louis C.K. apparently trying to get him fired for smoking pot, and he was attacked by a publication over another physical symptom caused by Crohn's disease.

Ariana Grande defended Pete Davidson from trolls following their split, and she also came to his defense during their time together when he was teased about something caused by Crohn's Disease. "Does Pete Davidson Have Butthole Eyes?" was the headline of a piece published by Barstool Sports in 2018. Going into (surely unnecessary and unwanted) detail about what the skin around a person's inner backside looks like and comparing it to the dark circles around the comedian's eyes, Barstool Sports posed the question: "But why are Pete Davidson's eyes like that?" 

Perhaps a little research might have helped, because although the piece claimed it meant no offense, Grande certainly wasn't impressed. "[Y]'all do kno this man has an autoimmune disease ...... right? ..... like you do understand what you're doing when u do this right? jus wanna make sure," she tweeted. 

While dealing with a chronic ailment certainly isn't easy, it must be nice to know that there are people around who are willing to step up with support.