Kenan Thompson Responds To Pete Davidson's Controversial SNL Joke

Pete Davidson was at it again on Saturday Night Live. While he mostly stayed away from jokes about his ex-fiancée Ariana Grande after she appeared to call him out on Twitter, another joke made by the comedian is drawing ire.

During a segment on "Weekend Update," Davidson gave his opinion on different candidates currently up for midterm election, including Texas Republican congressional candidate Dan Crenshaw. Crenshaw sustained an injury during the war in Afghanistan in 2012, which now requires him to wear an eye patch.

"You may be surprised to hear he’s a congressional candidate from Texas and not a hitman in a porno movie," Davidson said on the show. "I’m sorry, I know he lost his eye in war or whatever."

In response, Crenshaw called Saturday Night Live out on Twitter and brought up the joke during a handful of television appearances.

"Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl recognizes that vets don’t deserve to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes."

It wasn't just viewers who were offended by the jab. SNL co-star Kenan Thompson also spoke up about the comment during an interview on the Today show. Thompson agreed the joke crossed a line, but offered a tepid defense.

"It’s tough when you're fishing for jokes, like that’s how stand-ups feel, that there's no real filters out there in the world when you’re trying to go for a great joke," he explained. "But at the same time, when you miss the mark, you’re offending people. So you have to... really be a little more aware."

He added that he doesn't believe Davidson "goes out to offend people." However, he's received flack for a number of comments over the past year, including a joke about Ariana Grande and birth control, and a resurfaced comment made about the Manchester terror attack at one of Grande's concerts.

A rep for Davidson did not immediately return Refinery29's request for comment.