Although not explicitly a true story, The King of Staten Island is an adaptation of Pete Davidson's life. Judd Apatow's latest movie features Davidson playing a fictionalized version of himself; a character who hopes to be a tattoo artist instead of a comedian. As it turns out, the storyline mostly stays true to Davidson's real-life story, though many facts are tweaked for dramatic purposes.
The King of Staten Island follows Scott Carlin, a 24-year-old New York native who struggles to find structure in his personal and professional life, and hasn't fully recovered from the death of his father 17 years prior. When Scott's mother Margie (Marisa Tomei) begins dating a fireman named Ray (Bill Burr), he's forced to confront various emotions, and must also decide if he wants to pursue a romantic relationship with his long-time friend, Kelsey (Bel Powley).
In recent years, Davidson - who is indeed from Staten Island - has become a familiar name in pop culture due to his relationships with celebrities like Ariana Grande and Kate Beckinsale. Like his character in Apatow's new film, Davidson often speaks candidly about his mental health. Here's what is accurate to Davidson's life in The King of Staten Island.
Pete Davidson's Real Father Passed Away On 9/11
In The King of Staten Island, Scott comically reveals to a new acquaintance that he often talks about the death of his late father, a fireman. He also implies that getting tattoos helps cope with psychological stress, and has mixed emotions about his mother dating a man with the same occupation as her deceased husband. By suppressing feelings about the past, Scott fails to mature as an adult, and clings a little too close to his mother. But when he befriends a group of firemen and learns more about his father, Scott evolves from a pessimist to an optimist.
Davidson's real father, Scott, was indeed a fireman, and tragically passed away on 9/11 while entering the World Trade Center. For The King of Staten Island, Davidson and his co-writers slightly changed the real-life story by removing 9/11 from the story. It's revealed that Scott's father passed away during the "Paramount Hotel Fire." In recent years, Davidson has been candid about the depression he experienced after his father's death, and how it affected his formative experiences while maturing into an adult. In Davidson's 2020 Netflix stand-up special Alive from New York, he speaks about meeting with his father's friends from Staten Island, and how they surprised him by telling R-rated stories from the past. This is incorporated into The King of Staten Island.
Pete Davidson Didn't Drop Out Of High School
The King of Staten Island frames Scott as an unmotivated millennial who hasn't fully tapped into his creative talent as an artist. For some extra conflict, Scott watches his sister Claire (Maude Apatow) go off to college, and gets annoyed when Ray compares him to famous individuals who achieved professional success by their 24th birthday. Scott even calls himself "stupid" during a campus trip, and doesn't seem interested in pursuing a GED degree. He does, however, receive validation for his artwork, which affords him peace of mind and personal structure.
In real life, Davidson attended two different high schools in Staten Island and ultimately graduated from Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. After briefly attending college, Davidson chose to pursue a career in comedy (rather than as a tattoo artist). The King of Staten Island is essentially a coming-of-age story about Davidson's pre-fame years.
Pete Davidson Has Expressed Suicidal Thoughts
As a whole, The King of Staten Island addresses difficult concepts, like death and suicide, but doesn't include any graphic visuals. The film opens with Scott closing his eyes while driving, which immediately conveys the character's state of mind. Scott later talks about "hurting himself" while speaking with his sister, but then uses jokes to mask his true feelings. Still, the message is clear: Scott has suicidal thoughts.
Davidson frequently discusses his pop culture persona and mental health issues on Saturday Night Live. In fact, news headlines about his personal life have become a recurring joke on the show. In December 2018, however, Davidson worried fans and friends by making suicidal statements on Instagram before deleting his account. Specifically, Davidson wrote that he didn't "want to be on this earth anymore." After a brief scare, Davidson re-emerged and has continued to speak candidly about his personal life on Saturday Night Live. He goes into more detail about his experiences in the Netflix special Alive from New York.
Pete Davidson's First Tattoo Wasn't Kermit The Frog
Davidson has over 40 tattoos in real-life. In The King of Staten Island, tattoos are similarly an interest for Scott. The film begins with Davidson's character tattooing a 10-year-old kid, which leads to a confrontation with the boy's father, Ray. And so, tattoos are a central component in Apatow's film as Scott learns to love himself, and thus appreciate his talent as an artist. At one point, Scott's mother reveals that his first tattoo was Kermit the Frog smoking marijuana.
In real life, Davidson's first tattoo - "Swerve Life" - was inspired by lyrics from the Kanye West song "Mercy" featuring Big Sean. The song was released in 2012 - the same year that Big Sean began dating musician Ariana Grande. Three years after the couple broke up in April 2015, Davidson and Grande become a couple. They ultimately split not long after the death of Grande's previous boyfriend, Mac Miller. In The King of Staten Island, Scott's love interest, Kelsey, appears to be loosely based on Davidson's ex-girlfriend, Cazzie David - the daughter of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David - and his tattoos seem to be inspired by life experiences in Staten Island. For Davidson, it's his Staten Island past and evolving fame that leads to new ink.
Pete Davidson's Real Sister Is A College Student
Apatow's daughter, Maude, portrays Scott's sister Claire in The King of Staten Island. The character is supportive, and leaves home to attend college. Incidentally, Scott must look inward upon being separated from a family member, and must also address an inferiority complex. Kelsey is seemingly based on Davidson's 21-year-old sister Casey, who graduated from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. In The King of Staten Island, Scott is 24 years old when his sister leaves for college. In real life, Davidson is currently 26 years old, which means that Casey would've been 19 when he was 24.
Pete Davidson Does Have Crohn's Disease
Scott attends a minor league baseball game with Ray in The King of Staten Island and states that he has Crohn's disease. The reveal is used to establish a conflict between the two characters, as Davidson's Scott embarrasses the fireman in front of his colleagues by talking loudly about the specifics of his affliction (frequent bowel movements).
Davidson does actually have Crohn's disease in real life, and reportedly once coped with the pain by smoking marijuana. And so, The King of Staten Island subtly implies that Davidson isn't a traditional "stoner" who just like to get high. As it turns out, Davidson's Crohn's disease is directly connected to his marijuana use, which in turn connects to emotional trauma like his father's death. In Apatow's film, Scott similarly self-medicates to balance himself out.
Pete Davidson Still Lives With His Mother
In 2019, Davidson revealed on Saturday Night Live that he'd been living with his mother, Amy. He's also noted that The King of Staten Island is essentially dedicated to his mother, stating in a featurette (via YouTube) that "the movie is like my love letter to my mom and trying to end that part of my life. I feel like we finally got to a place where we could finally let go a little bit."
The King of Staten Island shows Scott's mother Margie kindly requesting that he move out, if only so that she can focus on her romance with Ray. The film's closing song, "The Pursuit of Happiness", captures the overall sentiment for both characters, and it's the artist himself, Kid Cudi, who reportedly helped Davidson overcome suicidal thoughts in real life. Like Margie, Davidson's mother is a real-life nurse.