Pete Davidson isn’t giving up just yet.
Friends of the “Saturday Night Live” comedian told The Post that the 24-year-old is holding out hope that he will get back together with his ex
Ariana Grande after the singer instigated a breakup last week.
“I talked to Pete a few days ago and he was joking again,” said one Davidson pal. “He’s still in love with Ariana and sees a future with her.” But, at least for now, “He knows [the breakup] is for the best.”
As multiple outlets have reported, Grande was hit hard by the September overdose death of her rapper ex-boyfriend Mac Miller. It seems her grief overwhelmed Davidson, her fiancé of four months.
“Ariana has been devastated and Pete couldn’t handle it,” a person close to the situation told The Sun. “She realized she needs a grown-up who can support her and that’s not him.”
But another insider told The Post that the relationship was already doomed.
“I don’t think they ever got the chance to really get to know one another,” the insider said of the couple, who got engaged after only a few weeks of dating and quickly moved into a $16 million High Line apartment together.
And, it seems, the warp-speed move from Davidson’s comedy-world bubble to the paparazzi-filled A-list whirlwind that is Grande’s life was too much too soon for the “SNL” star.
“I never thought that relationship would last,” said a comedian who is friends with Davidson. “I rooted for them, but . . . it’s damn near impossible to have a serious relationship when you have everyone following your every move.”
The Davidson pal confirms this. “He’s a private dude who feels more at home being on stage doing comedy in small clubs and being around close friends and family.
Being in a relationship with Ariana meant jumping into an entirely new world from his,” he said. “He would always joke about how he was out of her league — and yeah, he really believed [it].”
During the “SNL” season opener on Sept. 29, Davidson joked about his relationship on Weekend Update: “[Grande’s] the number one pop star in the world and I’m that guy from ‘SNL’ that everyone thinks is in desperate need of more blood.”
Still, the pal insisted, “They were really in love.”
Davidson has since moved out of the apartment he shared with Grande and their pet pig, Piggy Smalls. “He is staying with very close friends he considers family,” said the insider. “Pete has a strong support system.”
Friends were concerned when Davidson abruptly canceled a scheduled appearance at Temple University’s “Comedy Night Live” last Wednesday, days after the breakup, citing “personal reasons.”
According to Jenny Ramos who as assistant director for student activities at Temple organized the show, “Pete Davidson’s team called us a day before the performance, which left everyone on the team scrambling.”
(He was replaced by “Pitch Perfect” star Adam DeVine.)
It was a worrying sign given Davidson’s very public battles with sobriety and mental health since being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in December 2016 and his stints in rehab for substance abuse.
Meanwhile, Grande has kept her work commitments.
Tuesday evening, the singer showed up to the Marquis Theatre in Midtown to perform at a taping for a 15th anniversary tribute to the Broadway show “Wicked.”
She was not wearing the $93,000, three-carat pear-shaped engagement ring Davidson reportedly gave her, but she was sporting a bandage to cover up a “Pete” tattoo on her finger — one of 12 hopelessly-devoted-to-you inkings the couple collectively got during their relationship.
When Davidson was spotted Wednesday near his mother’s Eltingville home on Staten Island, an “AG” tattoo on his hand was still visible.
Despite the canceled show, friends expect Davidson — who regularly tests out new stand-up material at Manhattan spots such as Gotham Comedy Club, Carolines and The Comedy Cellar — to work out his demons on stage soon.
“A lot of people just see Pete as this lucky guy who went from living in a one-bedroom apartment [in Midtown] to being with Ariana f–king Grande,” said one Davidson confidant. “But Pete is a real New York comic. He’s more than just the goofy dude from ‘SNL’ or Ariana’s ex-boyfriend.”
And whether or not Davidson and Grande ever get back together, insiders expect Davidson will pick up the pieces eventually.
“Pete’s a fighter,” said the pal. “As long as he has time and patience, he will be fine. We are talking about someone who has dealt with his father passing away on 9/11 and has battled mental illness. He has been through a lot worse.”