“Saturday Night Live” alum Pete Davidson left an angry, vulgar message to PETA’s voicemail after the organization criticized him for his recent pet purchase.
Davidson adopted a puppy at a New York City pet store, instead of adopting the animal from a shelter. This prompted Senior VP of Cruelty Investigations at PETA, Daphna Nachminovitch, to issue a statement to the press. It was picked up by the media and shared, which was how Davidson was able to figure out her name.
Davidson quoted her name in the message he left. He explained the reason for his purchase in the message before saying, “Fuck you, and suck my dick!” according to audio posted by TMZ.
Davidson slammed Nachminovitch for issuing a statement that was “uneducated and immature,” and he filled in the gaps for her by telling his version of the story.
Davidson’s profanity-laced rant on PETA’s voicemail was prefaced by the explanation that his mother’s cavapoo passed away, and he purchased the puppy as a replacement. He also went on to indicate he has allergies and had to specifically purchase a hypoallergenic breed that doesn’t shed.
PETA hit back soon after Davidson’s message was received.
“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,” they said, according to TMZ.
The famous actor and comedian responded by saying he wasn’t aware he could adopt a specific breed and was told “it wasn’t an option, and if it was, it was rare,” according to TMZ.
View this post on Instagram
He went on to explain his message was left out of frustration and grief.
“I haven’t seen my mom and sister cry like that in over 20 years. I was trying to cheer up my family,” he told TMZ.
“I was already upset that the store had filmed me without my permission or acknowledgment. Then this organization [PETA] made a public example of us, making our grieving situation worse,” he said. (RELATED: PETA Lashes Out At Jack Harlow For Featuring Horse Racing In His Music Video)
He admitted his voice message was inappropriate but stopped short of apologizing.
“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,” he said.