Pete Davidson Was Heckled Off the Stage in Nebraska Last Week
If you were a paying fan at Pete Davidson’s comedy gig in Omaha last week, you were the victim of “it only takes a few bad Cornhuskers to spoil it for everyone.” That’s because Davidson walked off the stage after some rowdy hecklers refused to stop taunting the comic during his set.
Davidson appeared at Omaha’s Steelhouse venue on his “Prehab” tour last Friday but took a powder after a few fans refused to stop shouting “Ariana Grande!” and other witticisms, according to The Independent. The show was near its end, but when Davidson couldn’t get through his final bit uninterrupted, he dropped the mic and left for the night.
Because of Davidson’s strict no-phones policy at his shows, no video appears to exist of the incident. But Reddit is full of fans who were there, mostly defending Davidson’s decision to call it a night before he could deliver his final punchline.
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“It was more important for (hecklers) to be noticed by Pete and have a story to tell than to show respect,” said user Sssuperlative. “Good on Pete for disciplining the petulant audience that showed up like an attention-seeking 3-year-old demanding their presence noticed while the adults talk. Wasn’t the time. Truly disappointing.”
“I was also there,” added user DonCorleone88. “I’ll admit that overall, the performance was less than expected. I thought it was good, but not great. But to be a part of the crowd that made Pete walk off stage, proving everything he had said about himself in the media’s eyes true… was extremely disappointing.”
“I was there, and yeah, I kind of don’t blame him,” wrote user Umblerto. “I’ve only been to a handful of comedy shows, and I hate when people just yell shit to get attention.”
Some fans thought Davidson should have done a better job of communicating expectations. When Steve-O was in town, explained one Redditor, he let everyone know they’d get the boot if they yelled out during his performance. If Davidson didn’t want crowd interaction, said user Many-Elderberry9061, “then make it known from the very beginning that it won’t be tolerated. But don’t punish the people who were enjoying the show!”
Was Davidson unfairly disciplining everyone for the unruly grunts of a few intoxicated fans? “This sucks for the people who didn’t act like children at that show,” griped user Reese9951.
Some wondered if the Matt Rifes of the world encourage shout-out behavior with their social media videos that turn audience members into viral stars. “All of his crowd work postings have made people think that comedy shows are supposed to be interactive,” said user HawkeyeFan00, “and you get rewarded for yelling stuff out.”
Multiple outlets have reached out to Davidson for comment with no response as of yet.
Advice to Davidson and large venues: Take a cue from your local comedy club. Issue warnings before the show that disruption won’t be tolerated. Then if the shouting starts, show the idiots the door.
