Pete Davidson has always been a bit of a walking sketchbook. For years, the Saturday Night Live alum was as famous for his sprawling collection of 200+ tattoos as he was for his dating life or his self-deprecating stand-up. But then, things started fading. Literally.
If you've seen him in a recent movie or caught him on a late-night talk show lately, you probably noticed the once-vibrant ink on his neck and hands looks like a blurry watercolor painting left out in the rain.
People assumed it was just for a specific movie role or maybe a mid-life crisis. It's actually way more personal than that.
The $200,000 "Clean Slate"
Honestly, the sheer math of what Pete is doing is staggering. He hasn't just removed a "name of an ex" or a regretful tribal band. He is systematically erasing nearly two decades of impulsive decisions. As of early 2026, insiders and reports from outlets like People suggest Davidson has funneled roughly $200,000 into the laser removal process.
It isn't a quick fix.
He’s been at this for years. He told Seth Meyers back in 2021 that he’d be 30 by the time they were gone. Well, he’s 32 now, and he recently admitted on Today that he’s probably got another decade of laser sessions ahead of him if he wants the chest and back cleared too.
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Why Did Pete Davidson Remove His Tattoos?
There isn't just one reason. It's a mix of professional annoyance and a massive shift in his mental health journey.
1. The "Makeup Chair" Nightmare
The most practical reason—and the one he cited first—was his acting career. When Pete started landing lead roles in films like The King of Staten Island or Bupkis, he realized he was spending three to four hours in the makeup chair before the rest of the cast even arrived.
Imagine having to show up at 3:00 AM just so a team of artists can use heavy-duty concealer to hide a giant tattoo of Stewie Griffin or a "Cursed" neck piece.
"I honestly never thought that I would get an opportunity to act and I love it a lot," Pete told Seth Meyers. He basically realized that having 200 tattoos was a logistical nightmare for directors. It’s easier to "burn them off" (his words, not mine) than to spend half his life under a layer of Dermablend.
2. Reminders of a "Sad Boy" Era
This is the part that hits a bit harder. Pete has been incredibly open about his struggles with sobriety and mental health. In a 2025 interview with Variety, he got really candid about why the ink had to go.
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He described himself during his heavy tattooing years as a "sad person" who felt "ugly" and felt the need to be covered up.
"I got sober and I saw myself in the mirror and I was like, 'Nah. Who that?'" he explained. For Pete, the tattoos were less about art and more about a defensive shell he built while he was struggling with drug addiction. Now that he's in a different headspace—reportedly sober since late 2024 and focusing on a "cleaner" lifestyle—those tattoos feel like artifacts of a person he doesn't recognize anymore.
It's Not Just Laser; It's "Burning"
If you think laser removal is just a little zap and you’re done, Pete is the first person to tell you you're wrong. He describes the sensation as "putting your arm on a grill."
Because he has so much ink, he can't do it all at once. It’s a grueling cycle:
- The Session: Getting zapped by a laser that shatters the ink particles.
- The Recovery: A six-to-eight-week healing process where you have to stay out of the sun completely.
- The Repeat: Doing that 10 to 12 times per tattoo.
Interestingly, he’s even used his own pain as a "scared straight" tactic for the younger kids in his family. He’s been filming the sessions to show them exactly how miserable it is so they think twice before getting a "SpongeBob smoking a joint" tattoo on their back.
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What's Actually Staying?
Even though he's going for the "adult" look, Pete isn't getting rid of everything. He’s keeping a tiny "inner circle" of tattoos that actually mean something to him.
| Tattoo Category | Status |
|---|---|
| The "Sopranos" Tattoos | Keeping (He’s a huge fan). |
| Father’s ID Number | Keeping (Dedicated to his dad, a 9/11 firefighter). |
| "Mom" Tattoo | Keeping (Specifically the one his mom asked for). |
| Impulsive Cartoons | Gone. |
| Ex-Girlfriend Tributes | Mostly gone/faded. |
He’s currently got his hands, neck, and about 80% of his arms cleared. The torso and back are the final frontier, which is why he jokes that he’ll be 40 before he can finally go shirtless at the beach without a cartoon owl staring back at him.
The Takeaway for Everyone Else
Pete's journey is a pretty loud lesson in "impulse control." While he doesn't hate tattoos as an art form, he regrets using his body as a temporary diary for every whim he had in his early 20s.
If you’re thinking about following in his footsteps (either by getting inked or getting it removed), here is the reality: removal costs ten times more than the tattoo itself and hurts about fifty times worse.
Pete is basically paying $200k to get his skin back. It’s a long, expensive, and literal "burn" to find out who he is without all the decorations.
Next Steps for You:
If you're considering laser removal yourself, start by consulting with a dermatologist who uses a Picosecond laser (like PicoWay). It’s much more effective on colored ink—which Pete mentioned is the hardest to get rid of—and generally results in less scarring than older Q-switch models. Also, be prepared for the "long game"; as Pete learned, you can't rush biology.