Pete Davidson and Best Friends Mo Amer
IF PETE DAVIDSON isn’t the most discussed comedian of 2022, he’s certainly in the top three. The King of Staten Island has grown famous far beyond his “SNL” roots, gaining as much attention for whom he dates as for his actual comedic work. But while the headlines might say more about Kanye West than they do about Davidson, the self-deprecating comedian continues to draw admiration and ire for his dark comedy, his acting skills and physical appearance.
As one of the biggest draws on the festival’s first full day, the famously depressed star will undoubtedly speak to younger fans
Pete Davidson and Best Friends perform at 7 and 10 p.m. at the Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles
D E S P I T E living in the U.S. for more than 30 years, Mo Amer has answered more questions about his childhood and cultural background than other comedians. That’s par for the course when you’re one of the world’s best-known Palestinian American comedians. With more than two decades on stage, a pair of Netflix specials and major film and TV credits — including the role of cousin Mo in “Ramy” and a new Netflix series — Amer’s next task is to get the party started — by hosting the festival’s first showcase on Wednesday as well as headlining two sold-out shows on Friday night at the Peppermint Club.
What’s it like to kick off an event of this scale?
I didn’t realize how big of a situation it’s gonna be, but it’s always fun to get together with all the other comedians. Seeing what everybody’s working on and how everybody’s doing is going to be really exciting. I just finished filming a series for Netf lix based on my life, so I’ve been in a dungeon doing that. I was filming it all last fall and editing for the last five months, so this is just gonna feel like freedom after television jail.
You found a new audience with “Ramy,” and may be the only comedian at the who have grown up through one disaster after another — while nearly everyone over 40 wonders how anyone could find him funny, attractive or charming. In an industry full of problematic middle-aged men, Davidson, 28, has already established himself as one of the most prominent and successful millennial comedians (both in age and in the fact that old folks love to complain about him), and he doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. He’ll be joined by Giulio Gallarotti, Neko White, Carly Aquilino, Joey Gay, Derek Gaines, Jordan Rock and Dave Sirus for two sold-out shows at the Fonda Theatre. festival with a superhero movie in the works with “Black Adam.” How do these acting gigs compare to your stand-up career?
It’s flexing a whole ‘nother muscle. My first love is stand-up. . But crossing over into TV and film has been entirely different things, especially a superhero movie with the Rock. It was a completely new experience, and I was totally ready for it.
You’ve spent a lot of time educating people about Islamic culture. How do you strike a balance between being genuinely informational while still keeping people laughing?
When I started touring as a teenager, I realized there were questions people would have. I figured that it’s important to educate people. Not like, “We are this, and this is what we do,” but about my personal experiences. I’ve gone through what millions of people have gone through. We just don’t exist in Western culture in a rich way. If you watch film and television from the ’30s on, it’s not a very good look for us. So my first special was about answering those questions; my second one leaned into taking ownership of our culture, which was just taken from us. Like people are out there making apple pie hummus. What even is chocolate hummus?