Pete Davidson has a history of falling into serious relationships very fast — including getting engaged to Ariana Grande in 2018 after dating for just a few weeks. But even his friends were surprised when the comedian and model Elsie Hewitt announced they were expecting a baby four months into their public romance.
They’re less surprised that the love connection is over, some five months after the birth of the couple’s daughter Scottie, though they say Davidson, 32, had wanted to make it work.
“I was happy for them,” one insider told Page Six. “They seemed pretty strong” off the excitement of the pregnancy.
“This should be the most exciting time for him,” a friend of Davidson’s said.
But, the insider added, “The two of them maybe clashed too much. Having a baby is difficult — no one can prepare you for what happens after you have a baby.”
Another source close to the couple made clear that “their issues were not related to the baby” and that there were signs the two weren’t compatible before Scottie’s birth.
David himself is said to have been blindsided when Hewitt — who previously dated Benny Blanco, Jason Sudeikis and Ryan Philippe — last week took the unusual move of turning to social media recently for help.
“I’m currently trying to find an assistant / mother’s helper / nanny type / basically right hand person. Apply here if qualified & serious,” Hewitt, 30, posted on her Instagram story May 15.
She followed that up with a TikTok: “I have a baby to take care of,” she whispered in the video. “I have to work and make money. I’m doing it on my own, which is hard.”
Davidson’s “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,” an insider previously told Page Six.
Multiple sources said that fatherhood has long been a dream for the “Saturday Night Live” alum, who lost his own dad, New York City firefighter Scott Davidson — who inspired the baby’s name — on 9/11.
“It’s something he’s always wanted and really looked forward to,” the source close to Davidson said, calling the breakup “a sad situation for everyone.”
But one thing is very different for Davidson this time around.
In the past, the comedian — who has been very candid about his issues with mental health, including PTSD, depression and borderline personality disorder, and substance abuse — has had a cycle of struggles that coincided with the end of his romances.
After the whirlwind five-month affair with Grande fizzled, Davidson sparked widespread concern — and prompted an NYPD wellness check at “Saturday Night Live” — when he posted on Instagram, “I really don’t want to be on this earth anymore. I’m doing my best to stay here for you but I actually don’t know how much longer I can last.”
Davidson also checked into a treatment center around the time of a split from Kaia Gerber in early 2020.
In 2023, Davidson was with then-girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders when he lost control of a Mercedes and crashed into a Beverly Hills home in February. He entered a Pennsylvania wellness facility in July and broke up with the actress in August.
Then, in 2024, he again entered rehab timed to a split from actress Madelyn Cline.
But insiders say they are confident Davidson is in a stronger place now — in part because he is “committed to being a good dad,” the source close to the couple told Page Six. “He’s almost two years out of [his last stint at] rehab. Things have been well. He’s working really hard at it.”
“He has a great team and people around him that really love him and support him,” his friend added.
Hewitt, a budding actress, got her big modeling break when she appeared as a June 2017 Playboy Playmate and went on to work with brands such as Guess. That same year, Hewitt sued Philippe, 45, for $1 million, claiming he had assaulted her in a drunken rage and thrown her down the stairs of his Los Angeles home.
Philippe strongly denied the accusations and the pair reached a settlement two years later.
Hewitt and Davidson met via mutual friends, his friend told Page Six, and it was instant chemistry.
In March 2025, they were seen making out in the ocean off Palm Beach during a loved-up getaway.
Days later, she hard-launched the relationship with Instagram video of the “King of Staten Island” star in a bathrobe.
Their spring fling quickly accelerated into a full-on baby moon that July, when the pair announced the pregnancy surprise.
There was hope, the close source said, that, while the couple “had their differences,” the baby would “solidify their relationship.”
In December, the two introduced Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson with a series of photos of them cradling the newborn.
“Our perfect angel girl arrived 12/12/2025,” Hewitt posted on Instagram. “My best work yet, I am absolutely overflowing with love and gratitude and disbelief.”
Ever the comedian, Davidson commented: “wu tang forever.”
it’s unlikely he and Hewitt will get back together, but the close source told Page Six that Davidson is “fully supportive” of his ex and the baby both financially — including “the rent, their living expenses and their health insurance” — and in terms of being physically and emotionally present. He has “arranged his schedule to prioritize being in the city.”
“All he wants is for Elsie to be happy and in a good place,” his friend said. “He’s [Davidson] a good guy. He’s very much about not disrespecting women.”
He was in good spirits earlier this week, the close source said, coming off the successful roast of Kevin Hart that premiered on Netflix.
“It sucks that it didn’t work out. He’ll make the best of it,” his friend added — noting that Davidson is determined to keep the peace. “He’s got a thick skin and good head on his shoulders – he’s just focused on being happy and healthy and is rooting for her [Hewitt] to be successful too.”
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