American hero Dan Crenshaw made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live last night to accept an apology from Pete Davidson, after the cast member made a controversial joke about the congressman-elect the previous week.
“For one day, Republicans and Democrats agreed on one thing: I’m a dick,” Davidson said to laughter during his apology on “Weekend Update,” the same segment where he initially mocked Crenshaw.
Once Crenshaw arrived at the desk, he said, “Apology accepted.”
However, once his phone started ringing, his ringtone was a new song from Davidson’s ex, Ariana Grande, called “Breathin.”
“I’m just going to let it keep ringing,” he said. He then looked at Davidson, “Oh, do you know her?”
The anchors and Davidson then agreed that it was only fair to let Crenshaw mock a photo of Davidson, given that Davidson had done so to Crenshaw the previous week.
“This is Pete Davidson. He looks like if the meth from Breaking Bad is a person,” Crenshaw said. “He looks like Martin Short in The Santa Clause 3,” he added.
Earlier in an interview, Crenshaw, a Navy veteran, said Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels called to apologize and to invite him on this weekend’s show.
Crenshaw hesitated. He’s not an entertainer. He had Veterans Day events over the weekend, but he saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share a clear message with a national audience.
After roasting Davidson in classic SNL fashion, Crenshaw took a moment:
“But, seriously, there’s a lot of lessons to learn here,” Crenshaw said, addressing the camera as he sat next to Davidson. “Not just that the left and right can still agree on some things but also this: Americans can forgive one another. We can remember what brings us together as a country.” He encouraged Americans to connect with veterans by telling them, “Never forget,” instead of, “Thanks for your service.”
“When you say ‘never forget’ to a veteran, you are implying that, as an American, you are in it with them . . . and never forget those we lost on 9/11 — heroes like Pete’s father,” a firefighter who died in the World Trade Center. “So I’ll just say, ‘Pete, never forget.’ ”
“Never forget,” Davidson replied.
A truly classy way to handle an apology.
Here’s the video: