Classic rock shook Madison Square Garden’s speakers as beams of lights danced across the audience, not an empty seat in sight. The arena swelled with drunk chatter and anticipation. Had someone wandered in by accident, they might think that the Knicks were playing in the NBA finals. Instead, they would find a tribute event remembering 9/11 defined not with tears of mourning but with joy.
Hosted by comedians Pete Davidson and Jon Stewart, “NYC Still Rising After 20 Years: A Comedy Celebration” took place on September 12, 2021. The four-hour show featured nearly 20 nationally recognized talents and donated all proceeds to 9/11-related charities according to the official event page.
Sparked by Davidson’s unique connection to the day, the event celebrated the resiliency of New York during the weekend marking the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. The co-host lost his father, Scott, to the attacks. According to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Scott was at Ladder Company 118 in Brooklyn Heights when he responded to the World Trade Center Attacks. He often said that being a firefighter was “the greatest job in America.” Scott was last seen running up the stairs in the World Trade Center. His son, Pete, was only 7 years old at the time.
While this wasn’t the first 9/11- related charity show for the comedian, audience members wondered what the night would bring.
“We’re sure to hear at least one 9/11 joke tonight,” said audience member Madeline Marvin. “And probably from Pete Davidson.”
In his past work, Davidson has been quick to humorize his father’s death. His raunchy style includes 9/11 jokes, which some people find offensive, marking him as a niche comedian to fans of dark humor. It is straight and direct, able to extract a laugh without thinking too hard. Sometimes snickering after his jokes, he regularly relies on self-deprecation and depressing punchlines.
At NYC Still Rising, Davidson didn’t make any 9/11 jokes. His set only lasted five minutes, as compared to co-host Jon Stewart’s which lasted about three times longer. He remained on stage, intermediately introducing other comedians, but his energy felt restrained. Noticeably uncomfortable with the praise of his fellow comedians, it looked like something else was on his mind, something dark that he hadn’t quite transformed into a joke yet. His teeth were smiling, but his eyes were not.
“I didn’t really care when my dad died,” Davidson said in 2016 during his SMD show, named after his father’s initials. “I was 7. You don’t understand things when you’re 7.”
“It hurts more now because I get it,” he continued in an Everything Comedy podcast, attributing his experience being bullied throughout his childhood and young adulthood to the absence of his father.
In an interview with NPR, he mentioned how comedy helped him process his father’s death. While the pain on his face was unmistakable, a comedy show might have been the perfect way to remember his father 20 years after his death.
“There are many ways to express grief, laughter being one of them,” said Madeline. “Laughter is the best medicine.”
The night fluctuated between these two extremes: a roaring audience and a silent one. John Mullaney and Tom Segura left the audience nearly screaming with laughter. After Chris Rock improvised for 20 minutes while stalling for Dave Chappelle, the delayed comedian made Chris Rock stay on stage for his whole set, opening the door for some unfiltered commentary. Then came an impromptu, once-in-a-lifetime performance by Chappelle’s bodyguard, Brandon, after Chappelle revealed that he had an “angelic singing voice” to the crowd.
“It’s great to watch them interact,” said audience member Matt Marvin, Madeline’s father. “You get to see how their brains work and how they come up with jokes.”
Many people wanted to do something for the 20th anniversary, Davidson explained on The Tonight Show, but he didn’t want anything too formal, because “it just felt really weird.”
“I called Jon and was like, ‘We should do something fun, a little party, just have a good time.’ Me and Jon reached out, and luckily, we have really great friends,” he added. “Everyone was stoked to do it.”
Stewart spent the better part of a decade lobbying in Congress for the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Bill, which provides aid to those affected by the aftermath of 9/11. The two share a friendship bonded by the tragedy, making them the perfect hosts for this commemoration.
“I’m glad everyone’s here,” Stewart broke his set to explain. “It’s been a tough anniversary on everyone.” He looked off stage left where the other comedians, including Davidson, waited.
“But we’re getting through it,” he said, looking forward again. “It’s nice to have a laugh.”
“Comedy and tragedy are two sides of the same point,” said Caesar Campos, a young show-goer. “Yesterday, we cried. Today, we laugh.”
It was a night organized by the bonds of celebrity friendships. Before the comedians began their sets, video messages played on the screen, where stars from Snoop Dogg to John Cena sent their best wishes. Jennifer Lawrence sat in the audience. Steve Buscemi, who helped search Ground Zero, joined the stage. Jimmy Fallon, Amy Schumer and Michael Che performed, among others. The magnitude of celebrity involvement emphasized its standing as the “event of the season,” as Davidson called it, but it also revealed a previously unseen support system surrounding the tortured comedian.
“I’m sorry that happened to your family,” Chappelle told Davidson later in the night. “But I’m honored to know the man that tragedy produced.”
Davidson’s head hung low, slouched back as if he could hide in his own shadow. His nasally voice was unusually silent.
“Twenty years ago, somewhere on Staten Island, some 7-year-old kid lost his dad,” said Stewart. “Tonight, this kindhearted man turned all that grief and tragedy around. Tonight, Scott Davidson of Ladder 118 is beaming!”
