Inside 'SNL' in the hours after Pete Davidson's concerning Instagram posts

"SNL" head Lorne Michaels is looking out for Pete Davidson.

Hours after the comedian sparked concern by posting several messages on Instagram on Saturday afternoon, Michaels reportedly nixed all of the live sketches from that night's episode of "Saturday Night Live" that Davidson was set to appear in.

"The decision was taken to give Pete a break on Saturday night," a source told Page Six. "His sketches were dropped before the evening rehearsals."

Indeed, Davidson only appeared twice during the episode that aired live about 12 hours after his concerning posts: Once in a pre-taped bit about celebrities trying out for the Oscars hosting gig, and another time to introduce Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson's second performance together.

He skipped the official after-party to instead hang out with pal Machine Gun Kelly, who flew across the country to make sure he was okay in the wake of his Instagram posts.

The decision to significantly scale back Davidson's presence on the episode signifies Michaels' support of Davidson, who has been on "SNL" since 2014, when he became one of the youngest cast members ever at age 20.

"Lorne has pledged to help all he can, including sending Pete to get help," the source added. "Everyone on the cast is hugely protective of him and were obviously upset -- particularly Colin Jost and Michael Che on 'Weekend Update.'"

"Weekend Update" is perhaps the part of the show that Davidson appears on the most -- and it's usually as himself.

Despite Michaels' willingness to send Davidson to get professional help, sources told Page Six that it's expected that Davidson will return to "SNL" when it returns in 2019, with no conversations having taken place about him taking actual time off to seek said help.

Concern for Davidson skyrocketed after the comic shared a Notes app screenshot on his Instagram account midday on Saturday that said, "i really don't want to be on this earth anymore. i'm doing my best to stay here for you but i actually don't know how much longer i can last."

NYPD conducted a wellness check at 30 Rockefeller Center after the post went viral, and ex Ariana Grande tweeted that she was "downstairs" in case he needed her support. TMZ reported that Davidson refused to see Grande on Saturday.

Davidson has long been open about his struggle with mental illness, Crohn's disease and addiction. He did a stint in a treatment program at the end of 2016.