Pete Davidson joined Penn State’s Student Programming Association (SPA) for a virtual Q&A event Tuesday night.

The comedian and actor is best known for his roles on “Saturday Night Live” and in “The King of Staten Island,” which is a film based on his life. Davidson has drawn in a large audience by using his dark humor to poke fun at his personal experiences and challenges.

He kicked off the Q&A, which was moderated by fellow SNL star Alex Moffat, by lighting a joint in the basement of his mother’s house in Staten Island and recalling his audition process for SNL.

“I was 20 doing a walk-on role for Amy Schumer’s ‘Trainwreck,’ and I met Bill Hader…and then I met with SNL,” Davidson said. “I was supposed to be a writer, but they had me audition anyway, and I got a callback.”

The aspiring comedian, at the time, said he remembered thinking how terrible his audition was. However, weeks later, he got off a plane, turned his cell phone on, and got the call from SNL saying he was cast.

“The second I landed, I turned on my phone and NBC is calling as the phone turns on,” Davidson said.

When asked about his favorite “Chad” scene, a character he frequently plays on SNL, he said one sketch he did with Adam Sandler was the most fun, but the best one was the Scary Movie parody with John Mulaney.

“The ‘Scary Movie’ parody was super fun to film, and I think it was John’s first time hosting,” Davidson said. “It was a super special moment for him, and it was super exciting to be around him that week.”

When discussing his challenges as a comedian, Davidson explained having to disassociate his name in comedy from his reputation on TikTok that follows him to shows.

“It sucks, but that’s why I think I’m not going to do stand up for a little bit because I am going to do other work so hopefully people will find that and [people who are not there for comedy] will go away,” he said.

Davidson also offered advice to anyone who is starting stand up.

“Find other people who are in the same position as you and that have the same interest as you and are in the same boat as you,” Davidson said. “That way, you can grow together. When I started, I started going to open mics, and you network with people.”

As a former college dropout, Davidson encouraged students to be authentic and bold.

“Be yourself and don’t be a different version of yourself, because it is exhausting to keep up,” Davidson said. “Eventually, you’ll find people that are going to vibe with you rather than having to be this person.”

His final piece of advice was to “always wear a condom” and “also wear a mask.”