Ariana Grande may have very publicly parted ways with comedian Pete Davidson, but when the Saturday Night Live (SNL) star tweeted a worrying statement, she rushed to 30 Rockefeller, the building where the TV show is filmed.
Though Pete's mental health has long been an issue, the public tweeting about it started off with Kanye West. He spent much of Friday tweeting about his beef with Drake and his 'mental disorder', saying that he refuses to take medication because, according to him, 'I cannot be on meds and make watch the throne level or dark fantasy level music'.
During this tweet session (Drake tweeted nothing in response to West), Ariana tweeted to her fans: ‘Guys, I know there are grown men arguing online rn, but Miley [Cyrus] and I r dropping our beautiful, new songs tonight, so if y’all could please just behave for like a few hours so the girls can shine that’d be so sick thank u’
Kanye responded with a screen-grab of Ariana's comments, alongside his own comments: ‘I know Ariana said this to be cool and didn’t mean no harm but I don’t like even [sic] slightest level slight commentary from someone I know loves and respects me,’
To which Ariana replied: ’With all due respect, i don’t need to use anyone to promote anything. period. i was making a comment ab what men were doing at the time vs. women. it was a joke which i understand now was probably insensitive. i apologize if i was in any way triggering and hope u feel well today’
Pete then posted a note to Instagram reading: ‘Bravo Kanye West for standing up for yourself and speaking out against mental health. I can’t explain to you enough how difficult and scary it is to be honest about stuff like this. We need people like Kanye. No one should ever point fingers at you for your bravery in speaking about mental health. I’m seriously disgusted.’
And after that, he posted the more worrying message: ‘I’m doing my best to stay here for you but I actually don’t know how much longer I can last. All I’ve ever tried to do was help people. Just remember I told you so. I really don’t want to be on this earth anymore.’
He then deleted his Instagram account, reportsABC. Pete has spoken about his mental health struggles in the past, and he suffers with borderline personality disorder and depression. Ariana has been publicly supportive of him in the past, too, even after their break up.
Alarmed by the Instagram post, Ariana - and the NYPD - rushed to 30 Rockefeller, the building where he films SNL. Ariana tweeted that she was there and ready to help Pete if he wanted (rather than texting, as she told fans she didn’t have his number). In tweets that have since been deleted she said ‘I really didn’t mean any harm. all i want everyone to be healthy and happy. so desperately. please. my god,’ adding ‘I’m downstairs and I’m not going anywhere if you need anyone or anything. I know u have everyone u need and that’s not me, but i’m here too’.
It is not known whether Pete and Ariana made contact, but the NYPD managed to do a ‘wellness check’ on Pete. He later appeared on SNL, to introduce Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson and Sean Ono Lennon's performance of John Lennon's War Is Over.
Much online criticism has been made of all parties involved - perhaps the best thing to do is for everyone who needs medical help to be supported in getting the help they need, and for onlookers to pretty much save their speculation and stick to that line too.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, visit mind.org.uk for more information