after the recent docuseries detailing sexual assault allegations about music icons Michael Jackson and R. Kelly, “Saturday Night Live’s” Pete Davidson took to the “Weekend Update” desk to try to institute a rule that if you still want to listen to their music, “you just have to admit they’re bad people.” “I’m not saying it’s an easy decision, I’m just saying you don’t know how good someone’s music really is until you find out they’re a pedophile. And the reason everybody’s so upset is because R. Kelly and Michael Jackson made great music. If I found out Macklemore did some stuff, I’d be happy to free up the space on my iPhone,” he said. Davidson did call Kelly a “monster” and say he “should go to jail forever.” But he also added that “if you support the Catholic church, isn’t that the same thing as being an R. Kelly fan? I don’t really see the difference – only one’s music is significantly better” and noted that it may be hard to consume most media the same way one always has as people’s fuller lives come into view. “Once we start doing our research we’re not going to have much left because it seems like all really talented people are sick,” Davidson said. “Pretending these people never existed is maybe not the solution. The rule should be…you could appreciate their work, but you only if you admit what they did. You can buy a Mustang, but you have to say, ‘Henry Ford hated the Jews’ as you buckle in. The full sentence should be ‘Mark Wahlberg beat up an old Asian dude, and I would like one ticket to “Daddy’s Home 3? please.’ Because if it’s that important to you, at least own it. I don’t ever need to see a Kevin Spacey movie again but if the CEO of Swisher Sweets turns out to be a cannibal, I can’t just change my whole life.” Davidson said he created a plan and hopes the audience will follow him: “Any time any of us listen to a song or watch a movie made by an accused serial predator, you have to donate a dollar to a charity that helps sexual assault survivors.” The comedian jokingly added that he has “already donated $142, and that’s just from the ‘Ignition’ remix alone.” Before he signed off, “Weekend Update” co-anchor Colin Jost also gave Davidson the opportunity to address his recent relationship with actress Kate Beckinsale. Davidson took the opportunity to fire back at the chatter about their age difference. He noted it doesn’t bother them, but if anyone had questions about relationship with big age differences, they should ask any one from his extremely long list of male celebrities who have been notorious for dating, and even marrying, younger women, rattling off names including Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Willis, Dane Cook, Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, “whoever the president of France is,” Michael Douglas, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Larry King and Donald Trump. Published in Daily Times, March 11th 2019.