Pete Davidson Seeks Trauma Therapy Because of Kanye West’s Social Posts

by TK Sanders August 17, 2022, 8:37 pmupdated September 23, 2022, 6:29 pm 225 Views 327 Comments

Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson is voluntarily undergoing trauma therapy in the wake of his break up with social media star Kim Kardashian. But the treatment isn’t meant to address the break up, per se, but rather the threatening social media posts he received from Kardashian’s ex-husband, rapper Kanye West in the aftermath.

Davidson, 28, has been open about his own mental health struggles for some time.

“Mental illness is not a joke; it’s a real thing. There’s kids out there killing themselves. And it’s f—ing horrific. For all those struggling I want you to know that I love you and I understand you and it’s going to be OK. That’s all. Love to everyone else,” he said in 2018.

His decision to seek treatment comes on the heels of “violent” posts from West, who did not appreciate Davidson dating Kardashian. With news surfacing this week in tabloids that Davidson and Kardashian amicably split, West used the opportunity to take some shots at his new nemesis via Instagram.

A source close to Kim said she was furious over the post. “It’s another one of [Kanye’s] outbursts and it’s not a joke to her,” the insider said. “She doesn’t take his attacks lightly and demanded he take it down.”

Pete Davidson has never shied away from going to therapy for a wide range of mental health issues

West first publicly attacked Davidson in January, in the lyrics of his song, “My Life Was Never Easy,” which featured The Game. “God saved me from the crash just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s ass,” he raps on the track.

In another post, West told his fans, “IF YOU SEE SKETE IN REAL LIFE SCREAM AT THE LOOSER AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS AND SAY KIMYE FOREVER 💔.”

Kim responded in kind.

“Divorce is difficult enough on our children and Kanye’s obsession with trying to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all,” she wrote via her Instagram Story at the time.

Davidson’s choice to seek treatment for the attacks from Kanye likely have more to do with his own patterns of thought than with some need to process trauma. After all, by Davidson’s own admission, he’s sought professional counseling many times over in his life — it’s nothing new for him, and likely just part of a larger mental health strategy. He also admits (rightfully) that learning how to cope with painful thoughts is the key to actually overcoming depression.

“I like to be very upfront about that so there’s no, like, surprises,” he said. “I don’t want you to be surprised if I cut myself or if I have to go away [to] a rehab or if I have to go to certain therapy. It breaks the ice easier. … I don’t want to waste your time,” he said in 2020. “You go to rehab and learn, like, you can take cold showers, you can work out, you can listen to music really loud, you can read this excerpt, you can go on the Calm app, you can call a friend.

“There’s so much s—t you learn.”