Pete Davidson’s Friends Don’t Understand Why the Mom of His 5-Month-Old Child Might Feel Unsupported

Our long national nightmare has returned: Pete Davidson is single again—and this time, he’s a deadbeat dad. At least, that’s what his most recent ex (and baby mama) Elsie Hewitt alleged on Instagram over the weekend. After a few weeks of rumors that the two had split up just five months after the birth of their daughter, Scottie, the U.S. edition of the infamous British tabloid The Sun reported the split was official late last week.

An “insider” told The Sun: “Pete has been traveling so much for work, but Elsie was craving more support from him at home after their daughter was born. It was very hard for him because, obviously, he has to work to make money.” The thing is, a baby’s arrival is usually pretty expected, and you have a solid eight to nine months’ notice. If he’d wanted to, I’m pretty sure Davidson could have moved some things around a year ago, once they knew the due date. 

On Friday, once the news of the breakup was out there, Hewitt posted a Tiktok responding to paparazzi photos and  apologizing for looking “exhausted.” (Girl, you have a five-month-old! Even if you had a present partner, this is just what it is right now; it’s OK! Let women live!) She went on: “I have a baby to take care of, and I also have to work and make money. I’m doing it on my own, which is hard.” Later, she posted on Instagram, saying, “I’m currently trying to find an assistant / mother’s helper / nanny type / basically [a] right hand person,” and asking interested applicants to email her their resumes. She later deleted the post, but whether that was out of courtesy or because she was being deluged with emails is unclear.

“Pals” of Davidson’s then got in touch with Page Six to defend him. “Pete has been paying for everything related to Elsie and Scottie,” including “the rent, their living expenses, their health insurance,” one said. They continued: “His main priority right now is making sure that Elsie and Scottie are looked after, so it’s utterly confusing to everyone who knows them why she would possibly post anything about him not supporting her.”

I mean, I know this is the standard celebrity PR battle, but actually it’s really not that confusing why she would “possibly post” anything about feeling unsupported: It’s because she’s unsupported. They agreed to have a baby together, and then when things got a little tough in the first few months, as they tend to do, Davidson dipped out, and clearly is not around to help with diaper changes, bottle feeding, rocking Scottie back to sleep, or literally just looking after Scottie so Hewitt can take a shower and stare quietly into space for 10 minutes. 

I’m sure Davidson is paying for the expense that is keeping a human baby safe and comfortable, but it’s not the same as actually being there. 

In July last year, shortly after the pregnancy was announced, Davidson went on The Tonight Show and told Jimmy Fallon, “Yeah, I did it! I did it! If anybody knows me, it’s my dream to be a dad. So, I’m so excited. Elsie’s excited. Everything else doesn’t really matter anymore.” He also told E!, “Well, I honestly couldn’t be more excited. As you know, it’s been my dream forever since I was a little kid. The baby’s mother is one of my favorite people to ever exist ever. She’s going to be a great mom and I’m just stoked. I hope to be a, you know, the dad I hoped that I would have.”

Reading that back less than a year later is honestly super bleak, and I hope Davidson has someone in his life who’s real enough to repeat it to him—because I’ve got a sneaky feeling that “leaving before my kid can sit up on her own” is not the dad he hoped he’d be, even if he is still paying for everything.

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