Pete Davidson & Crohn’s Disease - His Journey & Struggles

When I first got diagnosed with Crohn’s colitis, I felt like I was dropped into a world nobody talks about unless you are living it. Chronic pain, random flare-ups, endless bathroom trips...it is a lot. That is why when someone like Pete Davidson talks openly about having Crohn’s, it feels like a little beam of light.

You realize you are not the only one fighting this invisible battle. Pete’s been surprisingly raw and funny about it, which honestly helps take a little bit of the heaviness off. And if you are like me, hearing people like him speak up can make the whole thing feel a little less lonely.

In case you somehow missed him, Pete Davidson grew up in Staten Island and shot to fame as one of the youngest cast members ever on Saturday Night Live. He has built a career out of being unfiltered, painfully honest, and somehow managing to make the messiest parts of life hilarious. Whether it is grief, relationships, mental health, or Crohn’s, he puts it all out there. And for those of us dealing with Crohn’s or colitis, that kind of openness hits differently.

Pete first mentioned he had Crohn’s disease around 2016. It was not some big PR announcement. He just sort of casually dropped it during an interview while talking about why he used medical marijuana. That moment stood out to me.

Here was someone being real about a condition most people do not even want to say out loud. Pete said he was diagnosed as a teenager, and honestly, I could relate. Being young and sick at the same time you are supposed to be figuring out life is brutal.

Since then, he has mentioned it here and there, usually in his signature dry humor kind of way. It is not performative. It is just part of who he is.

Pete has been pretty open about some of the symptoms he deals with. He has talked about how Crohn’s messes with his appetite, causes rashes, and makes it hard to keep weight on. I get it. When I was deep in my worst flare-ups, eating felt like a full-time job, but not in a good way. Some days you are starving but scared to eat because you know what is coming. Other days, the idea of food just sounds exhausting.

Pete has also mentioned dealing with chronic pain and severe fatigue. Crohn’s is unpredictable. One day you feel somewhat okay, and the next, it is like your body turns against you for no reason at all. One day you have diarrhea and the next day you have constipation. Trying to maintain a public career like Pete’s with that kind of instability in the background? Honestly impressive.

What really stuck with me about Pete’s story is how he talks about managing Crohn’s on his own terms. He has said that using medical marijuana helps him stimulate his appetite and manage pain. And you know what? When you are desperate for anything that makes the day livable, you find what works.

Personally, I leaned into diet, lifestyle changes, and supplements (the stuff I now share through GutMellow). It took me years to figure out my own system for calming inflammation and staying in remission, and it looks a little different than Pete’s, but the spirit is the same. You find what your body responds to and you roll with it.

Pete has not talked much about medications like Sulfasalazine or biologics like Stelara and Skyrizi, surgeries, or typical Crohn’s meds in public, but honestly, I appreciate that he shares his reality without trying to be some poster child for the disease. Managing Crohn’s is deeply personal, and there is no one-size-fits-all blueprint.

This is where Pete’s story hits another layer that I relate to: the mental health piece. Pete has talked openly about struggling with depression, borderline personality disorder, and suicidal thoughts. Living with Crohn’s isn’t just a physical grind, it messes with your head, too. The uncertainty, the isolation, the feeling like your body is sabotaging you... it wears you down.

For me, addressing my mental health was just as important as managing my gut. That is part of why I built GutMellow the way I did. Not just food and supplements, but strategies for handling the emotional rollercoaster, too. Pete’s willingness to talk about both sides, the physical and the mental, makes a huge difference in breaking down the stigma.

Pete might not set out to be an advocate, but he is one anyway. Just by talking about Crohn’s openly, he has made a huge impact. I cannot even count how many times I have heard people say, "I had no idea Pete Davidson had Crohn’s!" And that conversation alone creates more visibility for something a lot of us live with quietly.

I see Pete’s advocacy not in big speeches or awareness campaigns, but in the fact that he refuses to hide the messy parts of his life. That is powerful. When you live with Crohn’s, just seeing someone else acknowledge it, especially someone in the public eye , can feel like a lifeline.

The reactions to Pete talking about Crohn’s have mostly been supportive. People with IBD are grateful, and even those who do not fully get it at least become a little more aware. But, of course, there is always that group of people who do not get it, the ones who see you looking "fine" and assume you are fine. I have dealt with that too. Crohn’s is invisible most of the time, and Pete has had to deal with people making comments about his facial appearance without understanding the full story.

That is part of why talking about it matters. The more we normalize conversations about invisible illnesses, the less people have to deal with judgment layered on top of everything else they are carrying.

Watching Pete navigate Crohn’s publicly while still doing stand-up, movies, and touring has been weirdly encouraging. He reminds me that having Crohn’s does not mean you stop living your life. It just means you have to live it differently.

He also shows that managing Crohn’s is not always clean and pretty. Sometimes it is messy, painful, funny, sad, and everything in between. And honestly, that is what healing looks like. It is never just one thing.

That is something I have tried to build into GutMellow, too. Healing is not about being perfect. It is about finding ways to live fully, even when your gut is unpredictable.

Pete is not the only public figure living with Crohn’s. There are others like singer Anastacia, Kate Middleton, and journalist Cynthia McFadden who have opened up about their own battles. Every time a celebrity shares their story, it chips away at the stigma a little more.

Each of these stories is different, but the underlying thread is the same: Crohn’s can happen to anyone, and living with it takes resilience most people never see.

What age was Pete Davidson diagnosed with Crohn’s?

Pete has said he was diagnosed as a teenager, though he has never pinned down an exact age in public interviews.

Does Pete Davidson still have Crohn’s?

Yes, Crohn’s is a lifelong condition. Pete continues to manage it, just like those of us living with IBD do every day.

Has Pete Davidson talked about treatments for Crohn’s?

He has mainly talked about using medical marijuana to manage his symptoms. Beyond that, he has not shared many details publicly.

How does Pete Davidson’s Crohn’s affect his comedy career?

From what Pete has shared, Crohn’s adds a layer of unpredictability to his life, but he still pushes forward: touring, filming, and staying brutally honest about the realities of living with a chronic illness.

Living with Crohn’s is not easy. It is not glamorous. But seeing someone like Pete Davidson show up in the public eye reminds me that we are a lot stronger than we sometimes feel.

When I built GutMellow, I wanted to create the resource I wish I had when I was stuck in endless flare-ups, the way Pete’s honesty gave me a little extra strength on the rough days. Healing your gut is messy, slow, and deeply personal. But with the right support, the right strategies, and a good sense of humor, remission is possible.

If you are looking for a natural, experience-based roadmap to help calm flare-ups and rebuild gut health, you can check out what helped me at GutMellow.

Crohn’s does not define us, it is just part of the story.

After a decade of trial and error, I finally found a combination of strategies that actually worked. I went from constant flare-ups to long-term remission, without biologics or surgery. I created GutMellow to share my experience and help others navigate their own healing journey.

The GutMellow Remission Roadmap includes everything I wish I had when I was first diagnosed. It’s a comprehensive resource that outlines the exact steps I took to regain control of my gut health, including:

This blog is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. While I am sharing my personal experience, every individual’s health journey is unique. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet, supplements, medications, or lifestyle. Healing is a personal journey, and what worked for me may not work for everyone.