Kenan Thompson revealed how Saturday Night Live plans to deal with Pete Davidson's joke about retired Navy SEAL and war veteran Dan Crenshaw. On Tuesday, Thompson told the hosts of The View show executives were determining how to address the matter.
"I know it's being handled internally," Thompson said during his appearance on the ABC daytime talk show.
On the latest episode of SNL, Davidson mocked the appearance of Crenshaw, who wears an eyepatch due to a war injury. Crenshaw lost his right eye following an IED blast during his third tour of duty in Afghanistan's Helmand province in 2012. He went on to serve two more tours, and was elected to Texas' Congressional District 2 during the 2018 midterm election on Tuesday.
Thompson, whose father is a military vet, said Davidson's missed the mark with the joke.
"It's been an unfortunate outcome when you're a comedian trying to go for jokes. You know how it is, when you're trying to figure out a way to get into something that's a touchy subject or something that is very sorrowful. You want to try to bring joy into something and you miss the mark," Thompson said.
Despite the offense caused by Davidson's joke, Thompson argued it wasn't the 24-year-old's intention to insult veterans or Crenshaw. "Pete's a good kid. He has a big heart. He's had tragedy in his life, with his father passing from 9/11 and everything, being a firefighter. So I definitely don't think he goes out trying to offend people, but unfortunately that's what happened in this case. So they are figuring out a way to right that wrong, I'm pretty sure," Thompson said.
He added: "It's not our intention to disrespect anyone. Our whole thing is just to be artists and hold up the mirror."
Crenshaw refused to demand an apology from Davidson, although he felt he was owed one. "He probably should apologize, but I don't want some hollow apology. I think he has exposed himself for who he really is," Crenshaw said on CNN on Monday. "I wish him well."
Crenshaw made light of the incident following his big congressional win Tuesday night. Addressing his supporters at the podium, Crenshaw referenced the joke when he spotted the man who persuaded him to run. "He's upset because the recent Saturday Night Live controversy has resulted in me having more Twitter followers than [him]," he said.
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