How Pete Davidson Feels About the “Kardashian Curse”

There’s a long-running joke, or conspiracy theory depending on who you ask, that any man who dates a Kardashian woman is doomed. The term for the theory is the “Kardashian curse” and references several famous men who’s career or personal lives took a hit while romantically linked to a member of the famous family. Pete Davidson recently opened up about how his brief relationship with Kim Kardashian took a toll on him because of the level of scrutiny he was under.

“I’m one of the survivors — the few and the proud. We’re like the Marines,” Davidson joked to Variety about the men who’ve famously dated members of the Kardashian family and left unscathed. 

On the difficulties of being with someone with that level of fame, he admits it was not easy. “Look, man, that’s a really tough atmosphere if you’re not game. One of the things I love about Kim and that whole family is they’re like, ‘This is what we do.’ I found that very attractive and mature,” he said. “I was never subjected to anything I didn’t want to be a part of. She was super respectful of all of it, but the craze of that lifestyle — being followed everywhere, having security and looking over your shoulder — for a guy with mental stuff and at the time drug problems was a little too much for me. But we’re cool, and I have a lot of love for her, and I knew what I was getting into.” 

At the time of their relationship, Kardashian was going through a contentious divorce from rapper Kanye West. West publicly taunted Davidson. “What tripped me out is I was super open about mental stuff — everyone knows this about me — and it’s like he was [saying], ‘Kill yourself.’ And he did push me,” Davidson recalled. 

Despite this, Davidson says he has empathy for West because of his mental health struggles and ongoing grief surrounding the loss of his beloved mother. “I don’t know how he deals with it or who he has around him. Probably a lot of people who want to be his friend. I’ve had that,” Davidson shared. “When people are so far up your ass and constantly pushing and provoking you and not showing you love, you want to burn it all. I think it got to a certain point where he was like, ‘Leave me the f*** alone. I’m just going to say crazy s***.’”

Kardashian is currently dating Lewis Hamilton. In a recent interview, she says that after her relationship with Davidson, she intentionally stayed single for five years.