Pete Davidson Reveals 'Brutal' Consequences of $200,000 Tattoo Removal: 'You Don't Know What's Going On Under There'
Pete Davidson has opened up about the 'brutal' extent of his tattoo removals.
Nov. 12 2026, Published 5:35 p.m. ET
Pete Davidson has opened up about his "brutal" body tattoo removals that cost him $200,000, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 32-year-old was quizzed about the costly procedures while attending the How to Rob a Bank premiere in New York City on Tuesday.
Tattoos 'Might Come Back'
Davidson teased he might have new inkings.
He admitted to only wearing sweaters since undergoing the removals, telling a publication, "You don’t know what’s going on under there," referring to the distinct stages your skin undergoes in between procedures.
His previously heavily-inked skin is now nearly clear after starting the multi-year process in 2020, but he joked that "they might come back."
Indeed, the actor debuted new ink in April, his daughter Scottie's name, which runs vertically near his temple:
He revealed the new tattoo during an appearance at Las Vegas CinemaCon in April, wearing a red T-shirt that revealed only small patches of his ink on his arms.
Davidson's body was once covered with over 200 tattoos.
'I've Been Burning Them Off'
Davidson kickstarted his tattoo removing process in 2020.
However, he now plans on keeping only two or three.
During a January 2025 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Davidson said he was "trying to clean-slate it" and that his ink was "almost gone."
"I've been burning them off," he added, sharing that the removal process felt "worse" than getting the tattoos.
"They burn off a layer of your skin, then it has to heal for six to eight weeks," the King of Staten Island star said. "You can’t get in the sunlight. And then you’ve got to do it like 12 more times."
Davidson warned the audience to really consider the tattoos they want, rather than making impulse decisions, referring to himself as a "sad boy" when he got inked.
Extensive Tattoo Collection Impacted Movie Career
The actor says his tattoos stopped him from getting roles.
He also admitted that his tattoos have affected his acting career, explaining he would spend up to three hours in a makeup chair to cover them.
"For some reason, people in movies, they don’t have them that much," he said Late Night With Seth Meyers.
Among the stars tattoos were special tributes to his now-ex-girlfriends Ariana Grande and Kim Kardashian.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Davidson recently opened up about his drug addiction.
Davidson also recently shared how he was cooking ketamine at the height of his drug addiction, but a FaceTime call with his concerned mom sparked his decision to check into rehab and get sober.
The comedian said he hit rock bottom in the summer of 2023, a year after leaving SNL, around the release of Bupkis, an autobiographical series starring Davidson as himself.
He confessed that "playing yourself and constantly living in your own c---" was a traumatic experience for him, as he had to revisit some of the darkest moments of his life. In response, he turned to drugs to numb the pain.
"It was K. I was getting liquid and cooking it. And I would do acid and shrooms and whippets and smoke weed all day and eat pills every day," he continued. "It got scary because I didn't feel high. I felt high when I wasn't doing it, so I was like, this is a huge problem."
Only his mom’s intervention pushed him to make a major change.
"She told me her biggest fear was waking up one day to see on the news that something bad had happened to me," he said. "I reached a point where I couldn't do that to her anymore."
