Texas Congressional candidate mocked by Pete Davidson responds

Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw appeared to reference Saturday Night Live during his acceptance speech after winning his election to Congress.

Comedy has always had a place in politics. It’s impossible for something that play such a large role in society not to be approached with a sense of humor. But for some the line was crossed when Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson mocked former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw leading up to the midterm election.

Leading up to the Nov. 3 episode, it seemed like it would be the last one before the spotlight faded on Davidson. His breakup with singer Ariana Grande was reported and many figured it would be the end of the much-heightened attention on Davidson. He would likely return to his role on Saturday Night Live of appearing sporadically in sketches and making his mark on Weekend Update.

So with eyes on Davidson to see how, and if, he would respond to his publicized breakup, he found himself in hot water not with Grande but with those who took offense to comments about Crenshaw. You can see the clip below:

Pete Davidson suggesting that Crenshaw looked like a hitman from a porno did not go over well. It is understandable that veterans do not want the injuries they suffered while serving to be used as comedy material. Then there is the argument that Davidson is a comedian and is expected to push the envelope when on a comedy show. As with anything, the reality of the situation lies somewhere in the middle.

It is possible that Davidson would have been spared some criticism if it wasn’t for his offhand remark that seemed dismissive of Crenshaw’s service. Saying “war, or whatever. Whatever.” didn’t help even when Davidson turned things on himself for insults.

Crenshaw went on to defeat his Democratic opponent. He had the following to say during his acceptance speech that suggested the Saturday Night Live controversy was still on his mind:

"This election, the next couple of years, and hopefully, the next 50 to 100 years, are going to be about understanding what we all believe in together, understanding the foundational values that keep us together, and that used to be comedy and sports, let’s separate politics from these things, let’s enjoy life together as Americans, man, that’s what I’d like to get back to."

It may be a longer wait than 100 years if Crenshaw wants to see comedy and sports separated from politics. Comedy especially as it’s been how people have dealt with politics for hundreds of years. It’s especially difficult with the president himself has no problem weighing on the World Series, protests in the NFL, or late night hosts.

According to Pete Davidson’s castmate Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live is handling the situation internally.  The show isn’t known for giving out public apologies. It’s much more likely that Davidson will take some time away from the Weekend Update and the show let’s things blow over. We’ll find out when SNL returns on Nov. 10.