'Grieving' Pete Davidson Responds to Viral PETA Voicemail
Pete Davidson is detailing his encounter with PETA after he left a heated voicemail for the organization's Senior VP of Cruelty Investigations, Daphna Nachminovitch.
On June 5, TMZ obtained a voicemail that the 29-year-old Saturday Night Live cast member left for Nachminovitch after the org called him out for buying a dog rather than adopting.
"It's tragic that Pete didn’t seek out a borough-born mutt from a city animal shelter, because a scrappy New Yorker with charm, personality, and unconventional handsomeness could have been his perfect match," the VP of Cruelty Investigations told the outlet.
In the voicemail, Davidson dropped several f-bombs and told her to "do her research" as he is "severely allergic to dogs," which is why he chose to buy at a NYC pet store rather than adopt from a shelter. He also noted that the new Cavapoo he shares with his mom Amy Davidson and sister Casey Davidson is nearly hypoallergenic.
PETA then responded to his voicemail, telling the outlet that "If Pete had done his research, he would know that there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog, that at least a quarter of dogs in shelters are purebreds, and that Petfinder has listings for homeless dogs of every breed under the sun, including the one he purchased."
TMZ later caught up with Davidson where he admitted that he was unaware that he could "adopt a specific hypoallergenic dog." The actor says he was told, "it wasn't an option, and if it was, it was rare."
Davidson told the outlet that he purchased the new dog shortly after his family's dog, Henry, died in early May and while he acknowledges that his message came across harshly, he is still standing by what he said as his words came from a place of grief.
"I haven't seen my mom and sister cry like that in over 20 years. I was trying to cheer up my family. I was already upset that the store had filmed me without my permission or acknowledgment. Then this organization (PETA) made a public example of us, making our grieving situation worse," he said. "I am upset. It was a poor choice of words. I shouldn't have said what I said, but I am not sorry for standing up for myself and my family."
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