Pete Davidson criticised for Manchester Arena bombing joke, rep says no subject off limits

Stand-up comic Pete Davidson is now in the line of fire for a joke he cracked about the Manchester Arena terror attack that claimed 22 lives in the city last year.

The bombing took place on May 22, 2017 when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device while fans were leaving Davidson's fiancee, singer Ariana Grande's concert venue.

According to The Mirror, the "Saturday Night Live" star made the joke, saying Grande must have realised how famous she had become because "Britney Spears didn't have a terrorist attack at her concert".

He delivered the gag in a stand-up routine at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles five months after the blast.

In the past, Davidson has also joked about the death of his firefighter father, who lost his life in the 9/11 attack.

Sources said the joke caused a stir even though he is famous for comedy roasts, as the memory of the attack was fresh.

Survivors and the families of the people who were killed in the attack have condemned Davidson's comments.

Charlotte Hodgson, who lost her 15-year-old daughter Olivia Campbell-Hardy in the attack, said, "For anyone to joke about this situation is disgusting and I think he should publicly apologise for it. The families will find it equally as disgusting.

"We don't need jokes about it, there have been plenty around, and it's heartbreaking to hear every day. But for someone so famous to be doing it and now to be with Ariana, it's outrageous. I think she would be horrified too."
Referencing to Grande's recent revelation that she suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to the attack, Clough said, "I'm still suffering on a daily basis, I still have nightmares, and Ariana herself has suffered from PTSD. What the hell?"