Pete Davidson has revealed he’s already spent $200,000 on getting his tattoos removed, but is only “30 percent” through the process.
The Saturday Night Live alum-turned actor started the process in 2020 because they took too long to cover up on film sets.
The 31-year-old comedian revealed the full sum of his spending in a new interview with Variety published Wednesday.
“It’s a pretty uncomfortable amount of money to disclose, but I think one of the tabloids already leaked it. I’ve already spent like 200k and I’m like 30 percent done. So, like, it’s gonna suck,” he told the publication. “Now that I’ve said [the tattoo remover’s] name, though, he’s a little nicer, for sure.”
He continued: “My arms are pretty much gone, and my hands and neck are gone. But I still have to do my torso and back.
Further explaining his decision to remove the tattoos, Davidson said the tattoos remind him of a “sad person that was very unsure.”
“I used to be a drug addict and I was a sad person, and I felt ugly and that I needed to be covered up. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with tattoos, but mine, when I look at them, I remember a sad person that was very unsure,” he said. “So I’m just removing them and starting fresh, because that’s what I think works best for me and for my brain.”
“When I look in the mirror, I don’t want the reminder of ‘Oh yeah, you were a fucking drug addict. Like, that’s why you have SpongeBob smoking a joint on your back,’” he added. “They should have meaning. Not just that I was high watching Game of Thrones.”
He said that when he’s in the process of getting a tattoo removed, he has to plan it around his work schedule, since there’s a “six-week healing” process each time. He also acknowledged how painful the experience is.
“So each tattoo is 10 to 12 sessions. That’s 60 weeks of your life right there on just one tattoo to remove. So, it’s pretty horrible,” he explained. “It’s like putting your arm on a grill and burning off a layer, and then you gotta do maintenance and let it heal properly. And it’s pretty tough. It sucks, I’m not gonna lie.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in February, Davidson reiterated the difficult process of “burning” off his tattoos.
“It’s horrible,” he said. “It’s worse [than getting a tattoo]. They gotta burn off a layer of your skin, and then it has to heal for six to eight weeks and you can’t get in the sunlight. And then you gotta do it like 12 more times.”
He estimated that he likely had around 200 tattoos before starting to remove them. Davidson also reflected on his mindset behind getting so many.
“I was a sad boy. It was a weird time. I don’t know, everybody was getting tattoos like five years ago,” he said. “Post Malone was like ‘Always Tired,’ and I was like, ‘Me too dude, I’m exhausted.’”
Days later, Davidson turned heads when he revealed his tattoo-free body in a Valentine’s Day campaign for Reformation. For the campaign, he posed in a pair of white pants and matching socks, showing off his tattoo-free chest.
