Comedian Pete Davidson and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) are embroiled in a public feud after the SNL star purchased a puppy from a store rather than adopting one from a shelter.
Not only that, but Davidson is also acknowledging an expletive-filled voicemail he left PETA after the organization publicly slammed him, saying in part that he made “a poor choice of words” but didn’t ultimately regret standing up for his family, according to TMZ.
Davidson did have some explanations for the purchase, such as needing a specific breed — a cavapoo — due to being allergic to most dogs. The actor also explained the dog was for his mother, whose previous canine sadly recently passed away.
On Monday, PETA’s Senior VP of Cruelty Investigations, Daphna Nachminovitch, released a statement to TMZ explaining that the organization was disappointed that he did not go the adoption route, saying, “Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, PETA urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future.”
All of this followed leaked photos of Davidson and his girlfriend — fellow Bupkis star Chase Sui Wonders — making the purchase, apparently taken by a store employee. In response to both the leaked image and PETA’s public statement, Davidson left an expletive-filled voicemail for Nachminovitch. This voicemail was then leaked to TMZ, apparently by PETA, and went as follows:
“Hi, my name is Pete Davidson. This message is for Daphna. Thank you so much for making comments publicly that I didn’t adopt a dog. I just want to let you know I’m severely allergic to dogs so I have to get a specific breed. I’m only not allergic to cavapoos and those type of dogs and my mom’s f***ing dog, who’s two years old, died a week prior and we’re all so sad so I had to get a specific dog. So why don’t you do your research before you f***ing create news stories for people […] F*** you and suck my d***!””
PETA then responded to this voicemail in a statement to TMZ, doubling down on their stance:
“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.”
For his part, Davidson did confess in a statement to TMZ that he didn’t know about the fact that you could “adopt a specific hypoallergenic dog,” saying, “it wasn’t an option, and if it was, it was rare.” But even still, Davidson expressed being upset at not only PETA for making him a public example, but at the pet store employee who secretly filmed him, as well. And all of this commotion during a period of grief within his family. He told TMZ:
“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 acknowledgement. Then this organization (PETA) made a public example of us, making our grieving situation worse. 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.”
PETA also told TMZ that while their “hearts go out to the Davidson family for the loss of their dog,” that doesn’t necessarily excuse “buying a dog and propping up the puppy mill industry,” in their view.
In fairness to Davidson, it can’t be easy navigating the world as a celebrity with seemingly every waking moment being recorded on someone’s cell phone.
PETA itself is not an organization devoid of controversy, as well. For instance, a report in The Atlantic from 2012 highlighted the exceptionally high euthanization rate of the animals in their own shelters.