Pete Davidson Reveals He Was High on Ketamine at Aretha Franklin’s Funeral: ‘I’m Embarrassed’

Pete Davidson opens up about his past ketamine addiction.

In his recently released Netflix special Turbo Fonzarelli, the comedian revealed that he had been on ketamine “for the last two and a half, three years” — which led him to attend Aretha Franklin’s funeral under the influence.

“It’s uncomfortable when you’re off ketamine, but… I’m uncomfortable. I was out and about. That’s not cool, you know?” Davidson, 30, said.

“So I was at Aretha Franklin’s funeral. Yeah, I have to live with that. You know what I mean? She’ll never know, but still, that’s not the point.”

“If she had been there, she probably would have said, ‘Hey, who are you? And what the hell are you doing at my funeral?’ That’s embarrassing. I’m so high, I thought it would be good to go to her family and say, ‘Hey, I’m just here to pay my RESPECT…S,'” he added.

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The funeral was held in Detroit, Michigan on August 31, 2018. Davidson attended the funeral with his then-fiancée Ariana Grande, who performed a cover of “(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman” at the service in honor of the icon.

Franklin died of pancreatic cancer on August 16, 2018 at the age of 76.

Pete Davidson in New York in October 2023.

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Elsewhere in the special, Davidson explained what motivated him to stop using ketamine.

“I had to stop taking hard drugs because [you] you can’t be a drug addict in your 30s,” he said. “Doing drugs in your 20s is fine. It’s like an excuse. You say: ‘I find myself.’ It’s sweet, you know?”

Earlier this month, PEOPLE got an exclusive peek at his special, where he “brings what it means to grow up and turn 30, discussing love, life and living in the woods,” according to the special’s synopsis.

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Exhaling smoke from his cigarette, Saturday night live alum unwinds ahead of her upcoming performance in black and white footage.

“We’re coming on the 9th of January,” the mysterious voice began. “Netflix Comedy Special, Pete Davidson Is Turbo Fonzarelli.”

After tossing his cigarette into the ashtray, Davidson leaves in a cloud of smoke and exits the green room to a crowd of screaming fans.

“What the hell is a Turbo Fonzarelli?” – the narrator joked.

Turbo Fonzarelli is the comedian’s second one-hour special on the streamer. In 2020, Davidson made his Netflix debut with Pete Davidson: Live in New York.

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