5 hours ago
4
Over the past several years, Pete Davidson has been undergoing the painful process of removing his hundreds of tattoos. In a recent interview with Variety, the former Saturday Night Live star confirmed spending $200,000 on the procedure so far, estimating he is only about 30% finished.
“It’s a pretty uncomfortable amount of money to disclose, but I think one of the tabloids already leaked it,” Davidson said, when asked to estimate the total cost of the removal process. “I’ve already spent like $200K and I’m like 30% done. So, like, it’s gonna suck.”
Davidson added it would take him “another 10 years” to finish removing all of his tattoos, because while his arms, hands, and neck are now nearly entirely ink-free, he still has to “do my torso and back.”
According to the actor, it takes “10 to 12 sessions” for each tattoo, followed by a six-week healing period between each session. “That’s 60 weeks of your life right there on just one tattoo to remove,” he said. “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.”
Previously, Davidson told Seth Meyers he began the process in 2020 due to the number of hours it took to cover all his ink on film sets and a desire to open the door for more acting opportunities.
Speaking to Variety, however, Davidson revealed he also sees the tattoos as a reminder of a time when he was a drug addict and “a sad person that was very unsure.”
“I’m just removing them and starting fresh, because that’s what I think works best for me and for my brain,” he said. “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.’ They should have meaning. Not just that I was high watching Game of Thrones.”
Last November, Davidson showed off his new tattoo-less look during a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live.
English (US) · 