Supportive and surprised! Kenan Thompson admitted that he was shocked to see Pete Davidson start dating Kim Kardashian.
“I think we all were [surprised],” Thompson, 43, told Us Weekly exclusively at the People’s Choice Awards on Tuesday, December 7. ” It kind of came out of left field, but I don’t know. It’s nice to see love if it can last.”
Thompson, who hosted the PCAs at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, has known Davidson, 28, since the Staten Island native joined Saturday Night Live in 2014.
“If they’re happy, I’m happy,” the Nickelodeon alum told Us. “I don’t really know their business like that, but I know they’re two both seemingly great individuals. Like, I know Pete a lot more. That’s my little bro, so, as long as he’s good, I’m good.”
The Emmy winner — who is SNL‘s longest-tenured cast member with 17 seasons under his belt — can see why the Big Time Adolescence star attracts powerful women like Kardashian, 41.
“He’s a good dude, and he’s got a great sense of humor,” Thompson explained. “He loves his mom and his sister, those are all attractive qualities.”
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum and Davidson sparked romance speculation after they worked together during her hosting gig on Saturday Night Live in October. After they collaborated on several skits, the twosome were spotted hanging out with one another in New York and California.
However, Davidson was not at the PCAs on Tuesday when Kardashian accepted the 2021 People’s Choice Fashion Icon award. While her new man didn’t get a shout-out, estranged husband Kanye West was thanked in her speech.
“I’m humbled every single day that designers are willing to work with me. There was a time when they weren’t,” the Skims founder recalled while accepting the trophy. “Thank you Zac Posen who dressed me and took me to my first CFDA Awards and so many amazing designers, like Ricardo [Tisci] and Olivier [Rousteing] that really believed in me. Well, [they] probably [were] talked into it by getting a call from Kanye.”
Kardashian continued: “So thank you to Kanye even for really introducing me to the fashion world. I fell in love with fashion. This is a dream that I get to wake up and wear these amazing clothes and try new things, take a risk. I’m so humbled.”
The KKW Beauty founder hasn’t shied away from talking — or joking — about West, 44, since announcing their split in February. Ahead of Kardashian and Davidson’s multiple public outings, the beauty mogul referenced her marriage to West following her divorce filing earlier this year.
“I mean, I married the best rapper of all time. Not only that, he’s the richest Black man in America, a talented, legit genius, who gave me four incredible kids,” she said during the NBC sketch show. “So when I divorced him, you have to know it came down to just one thing: his personality.”
At the time, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Davidson waited to ask the Skims founder to spend more time together after she wrapped up her SNL debut.
“He was a true professional the whole time they rehearsed and in between takes, but afterward things got flirty,” the source shared with Us in November. “They exchanged numbers and Pete asked if Kim would like to hang out sometime, which she agreed to straight away.”
The duo confirmed their romance when they were photographed holding hands in Palm Springs, the same day that they celebrated Davidson’s 28th birthday with Kris Jenner. Amid the headline-making news, a second source noted to Us that the California native is having fun with the King of Staten Island star.
“Kim lights up when she’s around Pete,” the insider revealed in November. “Their chemistry is off the charts and getting stronger each passing day. No one can remember seeing her smile and laugh so much around a guy. He just has this ability to hold Kim’s total attention and have her in stitches with his hilariously dry sense of humor. He’s so down to earth and humble, which she really digs.”
West, 44, for his part, later addressed his relationship with his estranged wife after previously claiming that he never received any divorce papers. He shares North, 8, Saint, 5, Chicago, 3, and Psalm, 2, with Kardashian.
“The narrative that God wants is for you to see that everything can be redeemed,” he said ahead of Thanksgiving while visiting Skid Row. “In all these relationships, we’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve publicly done things that were not acceptable as a husband, but right now today, for whatever reason — I didn’t know I was going to be standing right here, I didn’t know I was going to be in front of this mic — but I’m here to change that narrative.”
That same month, another insider shared how the Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum’s connection with Davidson has been “a real positive transition for her” amid her divorce, saying, “She’s learning to move past day-to-day stresses and focus on the fun and sexy things.”
Reporting by Andrea Simpson