Pete Davidson does ‘not understand’ scrutiny ex Ariana Grande has been facing

US comedian and actor Pete Davidson has said he does not understand the scrutiny his ex-fiancee Ariana Grande has been facing about her appearance.

The 33-year-old singer and actress stepped back from the spotlight earlier this month after completing a 10-night residency in London, which marked the end of her Eternal Sunshine tour.

Grande rose to fame as a teenager and has faced intense media scrutiny throughout her career, with a recent wave sparked by her press tours for 2024 movie musical Wicked and its sequel Wicked: For Good.

Ariana Grande has faced criticism about her appearance in recent months (Sthanlee Mirador/PA)

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The first film earned both her and co-star Cynthia Erivo Oscar nominations, but its global success was accompanied by intense scrutiny of the stars, particularly over their affectionate displays of friendship.

The criticism has continued, with Grande also being subject to negativity over her appearance, particularly her weight, which she previously addressed on social media with a reminder not to comment on other people’s bodies.

Davidson, who was briefly engaged to the singer in 2018, addressed the criticism she has received during an interview with Variety and said: “I don’t like it at all. It’s not cool.

“She’s a really strong person – I’ve witnessed it – and I don’t understand it.

“She knows how to handle this stuff though. She’s been around. So she’ll be OK, but I think it’s f***** up.”

Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson dated for several months in 2018 (PA)

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Davidson, who has been linked romantically to a number of high-profile stars such as Margaret Qualley, Kaia Gerber and Phoebe Dynevor, also told the magazine that he understands the difficulty of media attention distracting from his work.

“My work and my relevance is super-overlooked, and it’s confusing to me,” he told the US media outlet.

“I get it – I’ve dated a lot of people. But so has everyone else!

“For some reason it’s zeroed in on me, and I can’t feel sorry for myself because I put myself in those situations – but everyone else is doing it.”

The actor, who has credits in The Suicide Squad and Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, also had a nine-month relationship with US socialite Kim Kardashian.

Addressing this, he said: “The craze of that lifestyle – being followed everywhere, having security and looking over your shoulder – for a guy with mental stuff, and at the time drug problems, was a little too much for me.”

Davidson added that he was “never subjected to anything I didn’t want to be a part of” while dating the star, whom he hailed as “super respectful”.

Kim Kardashian dated Pete Davidson for nine months (David Davies/PA)

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The actor, who has previously discussed how his issues with mental health and addiction were amplified by the pressures of fame, also sympathised with Kardashian’s ex-husband Kanye West, known professionally as Ye.

The US rapper, 49, has sparked controversy over his behaviour in recent years, which has included releasing a song called Heil Hitler and advertising a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.

West has since issued a letter apologising for his behaviour, which also said his bipolar disorder led him to fall into “a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life”.

On this, Davidson said: “I have dealt with a fraction of what he’s had to deal with public-wise. That’ll do it.

“He’s also lost a parent and has mental stuff, and I don’t know how he deals with it or who he has around him. Probably a lot of people who want to be his friend. I’ve had that.

“When people are so far up your ass and constantly pushing and provoking you and not showing you love, you want to burn it all.

“I think it got to a certain point where he was like, ‘Leave me the f*** alone. I’m just going to say crazy shit.’ There’s zero way he really feels like that.”