- Pete Davidson donated $20,000 to benefit research on Cri du Chat syndrome after meeting a young fan with the genetic disorder.
- Cri du Chat syndrome, also known as 5p- syndrome, is a rare chromosomal disorder caused by a missing piece of the short arm of chromosome 5, resulting in physical symptoms and intellectual disabilities.
- The Cri du Chat Research Foundation thanked Pete Davidson for his generous donation and for shining a light on the rare disease community.
Pete Davidson donated $20,000 to benefit research on a rare disease after meeting a young fan with the genetic disorder
Last week, while working on the film Tommy Karate in Brooklyn, the 32-year-old met Liam, an aspiring comedian with 5p- syndrome, also known as Cri du Chat syndrome (“cry of the cat” in French). The rare chromosomal disorder occurs when a piece of the short arm (p arm) of chromosome 5 is missing. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it can result in physical symptoms like low-set ears, a small head, and a round face, as well as trouble with speech and language, heart defects, and intellectual disabilities.
The Cri du Chat Research Foundation thanked the Saturday Night Live alum for his generous donation on Facebook. They included a photo of Davidson with Liam and his mother. The post was captioned, “A heartfelt thank you to actor, writer, comedian, and native New Yorker, Pete Davidson, for taking the time to learn about 5p- syndrome (Cri du Chat syndrome), meet our Liam the Lion, and show him so much love.”
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“Pete, your genuine willingness to listen, learn, and shine a light on this rare and profound disorder means more to us than we can put into words,” the post added. “And your generous donation to the Cri du Chat Research Foundation will help advance critical research and drug development for 5p-. We are incredibly grateful.”
The Foundation shared that “Hundreds of millions of people live with rare diseases,” but many don’t receive treatment “for the underlying cause.”
The caption concluded by thanking the actor, “Thank you Pete for using your platform and public figure status to shine a light on a rare disease community that so often goes unseen—and helping us create meaningful change for those living with 5p- syndrome.”
Davidson’s representative confirmed to People that he made the donation
This story was originally published byParadeon Sep 1, 2026, where it first appeared in theNewssection. Add Parade as aPreferred
