When did Pete Davidson get sober? Comedian gets candid about addiction struggles, says weed use resulted in psychosis

Pete Davidson has been honest about his lengthy and complicated relationship with drugs, including the trauma of being 20 and having a pot problem that led to a violent mental health episode, as well as how sobriety has been tough for him.

The 31-year-old comedian spoke honestly during an August 13 appearance to promote his new movie, on The Breakfast Club and discussed how heavy cannabis use led him to experience “psychosis” in his twenties.

"I was a daily, all day sorta guy and I got psychosis where you hear voices, and you feel like you’re sitting next to yourself, weed isn’t supposed to do that … it’s because it’s too strong," Davidson said.

Pete Davidson Admits Smoking Weed Gave Him ‘Psychosis’. Read more: https://t.co/6hUcDjVMxz pic.twitter.com/URitA4IpmU

— Complex (@Complex) August 14, 2025

Pete Davidson gained fame in 2014 as one of the youngest-ever cast members of Saturday Night Live. But backstage, he was struggling with addiction while simultaneously being handed instant fame.

He confessed that he was using more than one substance as he tried to carry on his comedy career, a lifestyle he now realizes compromised his personal development and working life.

The comedian has gone to rehab on multiple occasions over the past ten years. In 2017, at 23 years old, he said he was "happy and sober for the first time in eight years" after taking a hiatus from the limelight to rehab. According to CBS News, at that time, he attributed his ability to stay sober to the help of his family and a then-girlfriend. 

A look into Pete Davidson's recent struggles with drugs and sobriety

Pete Davidson has stated that he has not been completely sober over the years. In July 2024, while on his Pete Davidson: Rehab Tour, he told audiences that pot was the only drug he hadn't let go.

He also admitted to previously using cocaine, ketamine, and prescription pills, and even once said he used ketamine every day for four years.

"I did coke and ketamine and f **king all the pills and all that s**t. All I have is weed left, so it’s almost over, but I’m holding on for a little bit longer," he remarked.

Sources told People in September 2024 that Davidson was back to full sobriety and focused on his health, he even gained 20 pounds. Davidson began to change all this when he decided to get rid of most of his tattoos, a procedure that he said cost about $200,000 over a few years. Davidson said he had a moment of realization after he quit drugs.

"It’s pretty terrible, so if anybody out there is watching and thinking about getting a tattoo, make sure you really want to get it... I got sober and I saw myself in the mirror and I was like, ‘Nah. Who that?' I was like, 'I got to change it up a little bit.'" Pete Davidson said during an interview with Today.

Even though Pete Davidson has been discussed in the press largely due to rehab, romantic relationships, and subsequent legal issues, Davidson has typically shared his experience living with borderline personality disorder and PTSD honestly, and he's often stressed that his recovery is never fully over or complete.