Tattoo You! 20 Celebs Who Are Covered In Tattoos

Lots of famous folks have sat in tattoo parlors and gotten themselves some ink. Discover which tattooed celebs have the most tattoos.

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Even more fascinating is what exactly each one of these tattooed celebs chose to permanently put on their bodies. We all know that Ben Affleck must have given a lot of his time to the tattoo artist who penned that phoenix rising back tattoo that made headlines. But who else has taken the plunge? The results of this inquiry will certainly surprise!

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For example, Scarlett Johansson showed up to the Emmys red carpet with her beau, SNL star Colin Jost, with a back tattoo that was awfully large. Would you believe that several on this list have 40 or 50 tattoos?

Time to pull back the curtain on celebrity body art and reveal what 20 celebrities have secret tattoos? Who got what tatted where and … with what?!

The list must begin with the giant phoenix rising tattoo that Affleck has on his back. When it was first seen in 2015, he claimed that it was fake and done for a movie. Then, it was seen on the beach — plain as day — in March of 2018. Affleck has a slew of other tattoos as well, but he reported to Mario Lopez on Extra that he tries “to have them in places where you don’t have to do a lot of cover up.” His BFF, Matt Damon, was asked about the art on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. His priceless response was reported by Us Weekly. “It’s not one man’s job to tell another man what he can do to his back,” Damon said.

The former Glee star has never been shy about her 16 plus tattoos. Lea Michele just likes to have them in places that are not necessarily visible to the world — probably a good idea as she makes her living as an actress. She has music notes (surprise!) on her shoulder blade, a butterfly on her foot, the word “Imagine” on her foot, the number “5” on her side, a butterfly and bird on her hip, a heart on her finger, “I believe” on her wrist, “Finn” on her hip — a tribute to the late actor Cory Monteith (as reported by The Hollywood Reporter) — plus several others.

Justin Bieber started getting tattoos a few years ago and had merely a couple when he appeared on David Letterman where the talk show host begged him to stop at the ink he already had. He didn’t listen. Fans began to get a sense of his adoration for body art when RadarOnline.com Online ran Bieber’s tattoo photos that were released by the Miami Police Department after his DUI arrest. Most of us know he has many tattoos, but it is staggering to hear the amount of ink that the singer sports on his bod. Bieber has 42 pieces total! He even has a small cross just below his eye! Among the highlights is an enormous tattoo of Jesus on his left leg accompanied by a pair of praying hands. On his right arm, he had an image of an owl (for wisdom?) inked that takes up about half his arm. Just up from the owl is a ferocious tat of a tiger. On his left arm he had a ton of ink done — from a compass to an eagle. Oh, can’t forget the musical note behind his left ear!

The original American Idol winner now has 14 tattoos! Among them is a cross with by the quote, “love them more,” which comes from sage advice she received from a pastor growing up. Kelly Clarkson also has a puzzle piece tattoo on her back, a four-leaf clover and a heart on the back of her hand, a kite on her wrist, a moon behind her ear and eight others. The most meaningful one is that puzzle piece according to Us Weekly. “Inside the puzzle piece is this little tornado with a golden brick road and a hot air balloon, a kind of Wizard of Oz theme,” she once told Gay Times magazine. “I felt no matter how hard I clicked I just couldn’t find a home.”

Jennifer Aniston’s former husband Justin Theroux has many tats, not the least of which is a giant one on his back of a rat and a pigeon. Wait, what? Seems that the pair of New York City based vermin on his back were a salute to his late rescue pit bulls, as reported by Us Weekly. The dogs used to kill rats and the occasional pigeon in the city. He also has a tattoo of a grim reaper on his shin, the phrase “the rich will set you free” with four black bars (punk rock band Black Flag’s logo) on his right knee, an “X” on his ankle (which he did himself), scissors on his wrist, a fly on his arm and a bird on his foot.

Johansson has an enormous back tattoo that features a black and white floral design that she showed off at the Avengers: Infinity Warpremiere. But it was first seen in a photo that ran in Us Weekly! The rose is most likely a salute to her daughter whose name is Rose. The Lucy star also had a sunset put on her forearm, a bracelet tattooed on her right wrist (which also says “I heart NY”), a lamb on the right side of her back and a horseshoe with the words “lucky you” surrounding it on her ribcage. Most recently she got a couple of intertwined circles on her ankle with the letter “A” placed inside the left one.

Hailey Baldwin has 19 tattoos (chronicled by StyleCaster.com)! Guess if she and Bieber run out of things to talk about, they could share their appreciation of body art. She has a small heart on her left shoulder, “1996” tattooed on her right hip bone and three Roman numerals on her wrist — which is a salute to her parents’ wedding date. She told The Cut that she “figured they'd be less mad if it was an ode to them.” Baldwin also mentioned that each one of her 19 tats is small and that she is done for now. “Eventually when I have kids one day, I want to get my kids’ names and then I want to have the spots for that," she told The Cut.

Pop star Ariana Grande got her first tattoo in 2012 — a tiny heart to salute her debut CD. Now she’s up to 37, with 25 done in the last year alone! The phrase “Mille Tendresse” was inked on the back of her neck. Translation? It’s French for one thousand tendernesses and appeared in the iconic flick Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the “Thank U, Next” singer’s favorite movie. RadarOnline.com Online reported that former boyfriend Pete Davidson got the same tat. On her left rib cage she has the word “bellissima” in ink, a tribute to her grandfather who used to call her that — Italian for beautiful. She also has a moon on her neck. Her right hand middle finger has the word “honeymoon,” and on the other side of that same finger, the tattoo reads, “baby doll.” She saluted the residents of Manchester, where she was performing when a terrorist attack killed 22, with a bee tattoo behind her left ear. On her left knee, she has a tribute to one of her friends with the word “Court,” in black ink. Many of Grande’s tats are small. They are on her fingers, toes and even behind her ears. She also has a lightning bolt, a black heart and the acronym R.E.M. Her largest tattoo is a series of leaves that rise over her tummy.

Rihanna has at least 25 tattoos on her body. These include music notes on her foot, a Pisces sign behind her ear, a star inside her ear, Sanskrit on her hip, a skull on her ankle, the word “love” on her finger, “Shhh” on another finger, a Roman numeral on her upper shoulder and stars that start on the back of her neck and trickle down past her shoulder blades. The “Kiss it Better” singer also had a tribal design tattooed on the back of her hand, a gun on her side, the phrase “Never a failure always a lesson” tattooed on her chest, an Arabic phrase on her side, “rebelle fleur” on her neck (which means “rebel flower”), the word “Nefertiti” on her side, “Thug Life” across her knuckles, a Tibetan phrase on her butt, a cross on her collarbone, a falcon on her ankle (first reported by RadarOnline.com Online!), an image of the goddess Isis on her chest, chevron lines on the back of her hand, a henna design also on the back of her hand, a cross on her wrist, 1988 on one ankle and a shark on the other ankle. Phew … that’s all! By the time you finish this list, the “Umbrella” singer could likely have gotten inked again!

One of the greatest soccer players to ever grace the sport, David Beckham also is one of its most decorated — with tattoos. The now retired footballer has 40 pieces of art across his body. His daughter, Harper, has created drawings that her pop turned into a tattoo. He also had her name written in cursive on the front of his left shoulder. On her fourth birthday, he added the phrase “Pretty lady” just above her name. Then, a few months later, he added a rose above “Pretty lady.” On the right side of his neck, the word “Buster” is tatted. That’s the nickname for his oldest son with Victoria Beckham. He also has a picture of Jesus and cherubs on his upper left chest area. Beckham also has a sleeve tattoo on his right arm composed of clouds. He has Victoria written in Sanskrit, but according to Life and Style Magazine, it is misspelled! Among the remainder … “Victoria” was inked on his right hand. He had the number 99 tattooed on his right pinky finger to mark the year he married his wife and also the year he led his team, Manchester United, to the European Treble, which involves winning the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in a single season.

One of the most popular actors in the world has a number of tattoos. Among Brad Pitt’s eight is one on his arm that reads, “There exists a field, beyond all notions of right and wrong. I will meet you there." Reflecting his love of France (he and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie had a home there), Pitt had the French phrase “Absurdites de l’existence” tattooed on his left forearm. It translates to “life is absurd.” He has some Sanskrit on his lower left side of his back (Jolie has the same one!). Also on his lower back is what can only be described as scribbles from Jolie. On his forearm he has the outline of Ötzi the Iceman. On Pitt’s lower abdomen, there is a date, 6-4-75 — which just happens to be Jolie’s birthdate. On the Ocean’s 11 star’s right forearm is a salute to his entire family (well, from when he was still married to Jolie). It’s a thin cross, complete with the initials A (for Angelina), M (for Maddox), P (for Pax), Z (for Zahara), S (for Shiloh), K (for Knox) and V (for Vivienne). Below the Iceman’s tat is the word Invictus. It translates to “invisible” and was a reference to a famous poem by William Ernest Henley. As Us Weekly reported, Pitt has added one more … the front of a motorcycle on his left bicep.

When actress Zoe Saldana appears in a movie she often has to have her 10 tattoos covered. When she portrays Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy or in the Avengers movies, that green makeup covers up everything! The highlight of Saldana’s tats has to be the one of her husband’s face, as reported in Closer Weekly. She must be madly in love with Marco Perego because her other half/father of her kids is tattooed on her rib cage. She joked to David Letterman when she appeared on one of his final episodes that she is “running out of private places to put them on!”

Former One Direction singer, Harry Styles, has quite the love for body art. He has sat in the tattoo chair for 50 of them, according to Bustle. Among the highlights are a naked mermaid on his left forearm and an anchor on his left wrist. On his left tricep is a haunting one — a creepy skeleton wearing a snazzy hat. Its meaning is a mystery. Just below that are a couple of hands engaged in a handshake. One of his biggest tats is a butterfly right across the middle of his torso — he told Us Weekly “it hurt.” Just below his front right shoulder is a black heart. A birdcage is on the left side of his rib cage. Perhaps the singer felt trapped by being in the boy band? He also has two swallows facing each other on the front of his chest.

Miley Cyrus has 36 tattoos. Most notably there is a dreamcatcher on the right side of her torso, which commemorates her family’s Cherokee heritage. The most adorable tat on Cyrus’ body is a portrait of her Shetland sheepdog, Emu, on her upper arm. The “Party in the U.S.A.” singer has a number of tats on her hands. She has a heart on her knuckle, cross on her finger, a peace sign on a finger and an eye on one of her knuckles. She has a sugar skull on her ankle, a cat on her lip (yes, her lip!), the word “Elvis” on her forearm, “Okie” written on her upper arm, “Leetle” on her forearm and a planet on her forearm. She has a tattoo of Johnny Cash’s signature on her arm — she saluted a singer who, like her, bridged country and pop music. Another tat that the star of The Last Song has that should surprise nobody is a pot leaf on her upper arm. Then there is the one that OK! revealed … a tattoo of her dog Mary Jane.

Academy Award winner Lady Gaga is no stranger to the tattoo parlor. She has over 20 tattoos. Her fans are called “Little Monsters,” and she has a monster hand “paw” under her left armpit. It is a monstrous manicured hand that is covered in lace and beads. A second tribute to her fans lies near the inside of her left elbow with the words “Little Monsters” inked in calligraphy. She salutes her father, Joe Germanotta, with the word “dad” inside a heart. Her aunt, Joann Stefani Germanotta, received a tattoo salute when Gaga tattooed 12/18/1974, which is when she passed away at age 19. The late singer David Bowie sits just below an anchor — revealed in a report on RadarOnline.com Online. When the “Let’s Dance” hitmaker died, Gaga showed her adoration for him with the new ink. For those who have enjoyed A Star Is Born, the full length of her back tattoo will ring a bell. The first time we met her character, she was singing La Vie en Rose. The title of the song was tattooed on either side of a giant rose that runs from her neck down her back.

Christina Ricci adores the iconic book The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe  She got an enormous lion tattooed on her right shoulder as a tribute the book. The actress, who broke out with her role as Wednesday in The Addams Family, has eight tattoos total. She had a fairy inked on her right wrist in honor of feminism — revealed in OK! Near her midriff she has a set of hands clasping together to symbolize faith and praying. There’s a mermaid on her left ankle. On the left side of her ribcage she has, “Move or bleed.” These tats were first fully seen on Ricci in RadarOnline.com Online several years ago!

A man who does it all in the entertainment business ... Justin Timberlake has been inked numerous times. The most notable of his six (detailed by Ranker) is a giant cross on his left arm. He has another religious tat, a cherub that has the inscription “Guardian Angel” written around it. Fans of *NSync will love that he saluted his time in the boy band. There is a marionette held together by flames that is a direct reference to the group’s No Strings Attached album.

Tattoos have become more and more accepted in the world. Yet, it is somewhat surprising that Oscar winner Julia Roberts has several, as she admitted on Ellen and reported in Redbook, although the subject of her body art is hardly a shock. They are the names of her children and her husband Danny Moder’s initials.

Getting giant back tattoos seems like something that would be a challenge to hide for someone who portrays other people for a living. That didn’t stop Affleck and it certainly has not stopped Jolie. She got a decent sized tattoo on her back of a tiger that is merely the tip of her tattooed iceberg. The Oscar winner (for Girl, Interrupted) has 16 total tatts. She had an Arabic phrase inked on her elbow, a swirl on her forearm, and a Yant ViHan Pha Chad Sada tattoo on her back. Also on her backside was something she recently added — an ancient Buddhist Yant tattoo. Then, there was the one Life and Style Magazine discovered that was on her left arm. It’s the geographical coordinates of Brad Pitt’s birthplace in Shawnee, Oklahoma! So far, she hasn’t gotten that one removed.

Superstar Ryan Gosling admitted to W magazine that he has a few tattoos. In fact, the actor has five. He did not share any details about his body art in that interview but promised that he would get more because “old guys look good with tattoos. I think old guys with tattoos look good!” Bodyartguru.com cataloged his tats. Gosling’s mother, Donna, used to read him the iconic book The Giving Tree. Clearly the book influenced the superstar as he had the book’s cover tattooed on his left arm. He tattooed himself with what was supposed to be one thing but wound up looking like something completely different. He told international newspaper Metro that "one of my tattoos is supposed to be a monster's hand dropping a bloody heart but I did it myself with a tattoo kit so it looks like a cactus." Gosling tattooed “Esme” on his knuckles to honor his daughter, Esmeralda. On the inside of his left arm, he has a ghostly looking lady with a skeleton. Lastly, on the underside of his left wrist, he has a barcode. Why? Maybe there is no meaning to it, as he stated to The Guardian, “A tattoo should never be meaningful.”