Pete Davidson Is Leaving Staten Island — and I'm Actually Really Sad About It
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Like many people, I was surprised when I found out that Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson were dating. Sure, I'm a fan of both individually, but together they just seemed too … opposite to work. Eventually, though, the strange-yet-fascinating duo grew on me, and I thoroughly enjoyed following along with their date nights on Staten Island. As someone born and raised there, I can confidently say the place has always had an unnecessarily negative rap (mostly judged by people who have never even visited). It was nice to finally see this "forgotten borough" — as those who live there call it — receive positive attention for a change. I also just enjoyed the idea of Kardashian eating popcorn next to her boyfriend at The Atrium movie theater, which is literally something I did throughout high school.
But now, Davidson is apparently leaving Staten Island. In a recent interview with NBCLX, he announced that he's moving to Brooklyn. To say I'm sad about the news is an understatement.
Of course, I can't exactly blame the guy. I, too, have made my way over to Brooklyn in recent years, and for similar reasons: Davidson says the commute to Manhattan is simply too much, and I imagine he wasn't even traveling via express bus like I was (there are's more transportation options than the ferry, just FYI!). Even so, it feels like a loss. Davidson still living on Staten Island weirdly felt like a badge of honor for me — the little "but" I added after telling people where I'm from. Yes, some of the stereotypes may be true, like how the place is full of Italian people and those with questionable political views. We did have a huge landfill famously known as "The Dump." But having one of today's "It" guys live there really upped the cool factor.
Courtesy Samantha during her teen years on Staten Island.
I'd always hoped that Davidson would bring more celebrities over, and had dreams of Staten Island becoming some unexplored hotspot for models, actresses, and the A-list crowd. Just a few more "cool" years in the spotlight and maybe the public perspective would change. Maybe it would become the Wyoming of NYC. Maybe I'd read about Staten Island Mall sightings on Deux Moi. But alas, no. That's not happening … yet.
I understand it's pressure for just one person — I'm also throwing this option out to Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson, too, who, to my knowledge, have never dined on a Staten Island rooftop. I also know the connection hasn't been completely severed. Moving to Brooklyn doesn't change Davidson's past or the fact that he lived there so long — something I'll blurt out the next time someone associates Staten Island with Jersey Shore. And Davidson does still have a lot of ties to Staten Island, including family and the old ferry he recently bought alongside Jost, which they plan to turn into a comedy club (a very cool thing).
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Technically, Davidson (or Jost) could also still take Kardashian (or Johansson) and her family to Denino's and then Ralph's Ices in the summer, right after walking around Staten Island Mall (the whole movie theater date really sparked a long list of ideas inspired by my youth). I know he's not done with the borough for good.
And hey — he could move back eventually. It has happened before (to the both of us, actually), so I'm holding out hope.
