Pete Davidson finds a way to make Israel-Gaza crisis about him during “SNL” cold open

During the cold open for the premiere of the 49th season of “Saturday Night Live,” former cast member Pete Davidson made a return as host, kicking off the episode with a statement on the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza. Quick to call-out the question, “Why do we have to hear from this guy about it?” before anyone else could ask it first, he worked in personal anecdotes to smooth it out and make it make sense to the best of his ability.

“This week we saw the horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza,” Davidson said. “And I know what you’re thinking, ‘Who better to comment on it than Pete Davidson?’ Well, in a lot of ways, I am a good person to talk about it because when I was seven-years-old, my dad was killed in a terrorist attack.”

Davidson’s father, Scott Matthew Davidson, was a New York firefighter who died in 2001 at the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks. An obvious tragedy, yes. But mentioned here, it brings to mind a question of time and place.

Further into the cold open, Davidson tries out a new comedy voice — as in, he’s doing something different with it that’s a mix between his normal speaking voice and that of a bus driver doing a Joe Pesci impersonation — and digs himself further into his hole of good intentions, talking about an old flame who died of a drug overdose, and ending on the subject of comedy, and how it’s important in times of tragedy. Efforts were certainly made here, to be sure. But . . . yeah.

Watch below.