Pete Davidson is opening up about the “embarrassing” message he had for the late Aretha Franklin’s family after he showed up high as a kite on ketamine to her funeral service.
In his new Netflix special, “Turbo Fonzarelli,” the comedian shared that he was under the influence of the drug that’s used to treat depression for “the past two-and-a-half, three years” when he decided to attend the soul singer’s funeral totally fried.
“It’s embarrassing when you’re not on ketamine anymore, though…I’m embarrassed. I was out and about like that. That’s not cool, you know?” Davidson, 30, recalled. “I was at Aretha Franklin’s funeral like that. Yeah, I have to live with that. You know what I mean?”
The “Bupkis” star joked that she’ll “never know” he was on the drug, before adding, “If she was there, she would probably be like, ‘Hey, who are you? And what the fuck are you doing at my funeral?’”
Davidson attended the funeral with his then-fiancée Ariana Grande, who paid tribute to the iconic musician with a rendition of Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” at the ceremony.
The “SNL” alum went on to detail how he was “so high” that he put his foot in his mouth by telling a joke to the Queen of Soul’s family members that didn’t quite stick the landing.
“It’s embarrassing. I’m so high, I thought it would be a good idea to go up to her family and go, ’Hey, I’m just here to pay my R-E-S-P-E-C-T…S,” he added, referencing one of Franklin’s biggest tunes: “Respect.”
The famous singer-songwriter’s funeral took place in Detroit, Michigan, on Aug. 31, 2018. Franklin died of pancreatic cancer on Aug. 16, 2018, at 76.
Later in the comedy special, Davidson explained that aging played a role in him kicking ketamine for good.
“I had to stop doing hard drugs because [you] can’t be a drug addict in your 30s,” he shared. “Doing drugs in your 20s is fine. It’s like an excuse. You’re like: ‘I’m finding myself.’ It’s cute, you know?”
“Turbo Fonzarelli,” which premiered on Tuesday, is streaming on Netflix.