Live from New York, it’s Pete Davidson, your next new Saturday Night Live star

Pete Davidson is scheduled to perform stand-up comedy next weekend in Arlington, Va.

But Lorne Michaels has other ideas.

The Comic’s Comic has learned from multiple sources that Saturday Night Live wants the 20-year-old Staten Island native Davidson to join the featured players in the cast when SNL launches its 40th season on Sept. 27, 2014. SNL could make the announcement as early as today (UPDATED: The show did confirm the news this morning!). Michaels had told The New York Times on Friday that he was looking to add at least one additional cast member after rehiring and promoting former writer Michael Che to the Weekend Update anchor desk.

PeteDavidson_Twitter_NYCDavidson, who turns 21 in November, wouldn’t be the youngest-ever SNL cast member. That would be Anthony Michael Hall, who already was known to American audiences from movies when he joined the cast in 1985 at age 17; Robert Downey Jr. also was part of that year’s cast when he was only 20. And Eddie Murphy‘s broke through in a big way via SNL when he was 19 in 1980.

Davidson’s career trajectory falls somewhere amid those three bold-faced names.

Earlier this summer, Variety named Davidson one of 2014’s “10 Comics To Watch.”

The past 14 months have seen Davidson rise from “New Face” in Montreal to TV credits on Comedy Central (Adam Devine’s House Party, Comedy Underground with Dave Attell), MTV (Wild ‘N Out, Guy Code), AXS TV (Gotham Comedy Live), ABC (Jimmy Kimmel Live), FOX (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and a co-starring role in a FOX sitcom pilot (Sober Companion).

He also filmed a small part in Amy Schumer’s movie, Trainwreck, directed by Judd Apatow. He also has been developing scripts with the star-making director/producer.

When Nick Cannon brought back Wild ‘N Out to MTV2 last summer, he was quick to praise and hype the then-teenaged Davidson, telling The Comic’s Comic: “I found him on Staten Island when he was 16. I’d started doing stand-up when I was a teenager. Pete was killing it with well-written material.”

Cannon first gave the kid a shot at 17 on one of the mics in 2011 for his morning radio show on 92.3 NOW, then brought him on tour with him, and eventually added him to the revival of Wild ‘N Out.

Here are some of his other recent TV gigs.

In December 2013, you saw Pete Davidson on Adam Devine’s House Party, joking about dropping out of college, smoking weed, black friends, and his hometown on Staten Island.

Davidson’s “How To With Pete” Guy Code advice for surviving Christmas and Valentine’s Day:

Davidson’s network TV debut doing stand-up on Jimmy Kimmel Live in April:

And here he is on Comedy Underground with Dave Attell this spring:

Congrats to Davidson on what’s sure to be a stellar year as he turns 21.

Saturday Night Live officially returns on Sept. 27, 2014, with host Chris Pratt and musical guest Ariana Grande.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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