Fans of Saturday Night Live caught a surprising sight this weekend—Pete Davidson back in a sketch, sporting a lot less ink than we’re used to seeing. The 30-year-old comedian, famous for his tattoo-covered arms, appeared in a short-sleeved shirt, revealing a dramatically reduced number of tattoos.
But for those who’ve followed Pete’s journey, this change has been a long time coming. He revealed back in 2021 that he was gradually removing his tattoos and had some interesting reasons behind the decision.
In an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers in May 2021, Pete shared why he’s saying goodbye to many of his signature tats. For Pete, the initial reason was purely practical: he realized that his career in movies would require a lot of time covering up his tattoos, something that quickly became an inconvenience. “I didn’t think that they would put me in stuff—like the movie business. I thought after SNL, it’s a wrap,” Pete joked, referencing his roles in The King of Staten Island and The Suicide Squad.
When he started landing these movie roles, Pete learned just how much time went into hiding his body art. “It takes like three hours—you have to get there three hours earlier to cover all your tattoos because, for some reason, people in movies, they don’t have them that much,” he explained. Spending those extra hours in makeup was enough to make him consider an alternative: removing the tattoos entirely. And as it turns out, this process is far from easy.
“Burning them off is worse than getting them,” Pete admitted, describing the intense laser tattoo removal process. “Because not only are they, like, burning off your skin, but you’re wearing these big goggles, right? So you can’t see anything, and the doctor’s in there with you.” The experience is made even stranger by the fact that, before each tattoo is lasered away, Pete has to confirm if he wants to keep it or let it go.
“Before [the doctor] goes to laser each tattoo, you have to hear him announce what the tattoo is to make sure if you want to keep it or not,” Pete shared, laughing at the slightly surreal experience. “I’ll just be sitting there all high off of the Pro-Nox—which is actually quite fun, I enjoy it—and then all of a sudden I’ll just hear, ‘Are we keeping the Stewie Griffin smoking a blunt?’ And then I have to sit there and be like, ‘No, Dr. G.’ It’s really embarrassing.” It doesn’t end there—he added that he’s also had to decide whether to keep classics like “the owl that licks the Tootsie Pop.”
Reflecting on the process, Pete offered some humorous but heartfelt advice to anyone thinking of going down the tattoo route: “If you’re going to get tattoos, just make sure you really, really want it—and aren’t on mushrooms,” he said with a laugh.
Though Pete’s tattoos have been an iconic part of his public image, this decision marks a new chapter in his career. With fewer tattoos, he’ll likely find it easier to navigate Hollywood and land roles without the hours of cover-up required on set. For Pete, it seems like a practical choice with a hint of personal growth, as he’s moving past his inked-up reputation and embracing what’s next.
