Pete Davidson Tattoos: Removed & Kept in 2026

Here’s a number that surprises almost everyone: Pete Davidson has said he started getting inked as a teenager and ended up with roughly 200 tattoos before he began erasing them. That’s not a small collection. It’s a full-body commitment, the kind that turns a person into a walking sketchbook. And then, slowly, the sketchbook started emptying out.

Davidson’s relationship with tattoos is one of the most public in modern celebrity culture. He’s talked about them in interviews, joked about them on stage, and been photographed with fewer and fewer of them as the years pass. For anyone curious about his ink, or thinking about their own removal journey, his story is a genuinely useful case study. It shows how tattoos age, how careers reshape self-image, and how expensive regret can be.

Why Pete Davidson’s Tattoos Get So Much Attention

Most celebrities have tattoos. Fewer have hundreds of them. Fewer still talk openly about wanting them gone.

Davidson fits into a specific category: the heavily tattooed performer who treats his body art as part of his comedic identity, then gradually reconsiders it. His ink has included everything from cartoon characters and pop culture references to tributes, matching pieces, and impulsive late-night additions. The sheer volume is what makes him interesting. When someone has two tattoos, nobody asks questions. When someone has 200, every removal session becomes a story.

There’s also the visibility factor. As a cast member on Saturday Night Live, Davidson appeared on national television regularly, and his tattoos were often covered with makeup or hidden under clothing. That practical reality, the cost and effort of concealing ink for camera work, is one reason many performers eventually pursue removal.

The Real Reason He Started Removing Them

Davidson has been candid that his motivation wasn’t purely cosmetic. In interviews, he’s described the removal process as something he wanted for himself, tied to feeling better about his appearance and moving on from a period of impulsive decisions.

The deeper logic makes sense when you look at how tattoos work psychologically. Research on body art consistently shows that tattoos are often tied to a specific life phase, a relationship, or an identity that can shift. The Wikipedia entry on tattooing notes that tattoos have served as rites of passage, status markers, and personal expression across thousands of years of human history. What it also implies is that the meaning attached to a tattoo can change while the ink stays permanent.

For Davidson, many pieces were reportedly done on impulse, sometimes during difficult periods. Removing them became a way of taking control back. That’s a common thread among people who pursue laser removal: the decision is less about hating the design and more about wanting the body to reflect who they are now.

A Practical Point Most People Miss

Removal isn’t a single appointment. Laser sessions are spaced weeks apart, and full clearance of a large piece can take a year or more. Davidson has described the process as painful and slow. Anyone considering it should budget for both money and patience, because the technology removes ink gradually, session by session, as the immune system clears fragmented pigment.

What Actually Happens During Laser Removal

If you’ve ever wondered what celebrities are signing up for, the mechanics are straightforward. A laser delivers short pulses of light that the ink absorbs. The pigment breaks into tiny fragments, and the body’s immune system carries those fragments away over the following weeks.

Factor	What It Means in Practice
Session length	Small tattoos take minutes; large pieces can take an hour
Number of sessions	Often 6 to 12 or more for complete removal
Spacing	Typically 6 to 8 weeks between sessions
Sensation	Frequently described as a rubber band snapping against skin
Results	Full removal is possible but not guaranteed; some ghosting can remain

The American Academy of Dermatology explains that laser removal works best on certain ink colors and can be complicated by tattoo age, depth, and the presence of scar tissue. That’s a detail worth flagging: not all tattoos respond equally, and darker, professionally applied ink tends to be more stubborn than amateur work in some respects, while certain colors like green and yellow resist many laser wavelengths entirely.

Davidson’s situation is unusual only in scale. Multiply the standard process by dozens of pieces and you get a multi-year project.

The Tattoos He’s Kept and the Ones That Vanished

Tracking Davidson’s exact tattoo inventory is genuinely difficult. He’s added and removed pieces over the years, and photographs from different periods don’t always line up. That’s not a flaw in the reporting; it’s the nature of a body that changes.

What’s clear is the direction of travel. Over time, his arms and hands have looked noticeably cleaner in public appearances. Some pieces tied to specific relationships or eras have disappeared. Others have reportedly remained, including designs he’s described as meaningful or tied to family and close friends.

There’s a lesson buried in that pattern. Tattoos tied to identity tend to survive. Tattoos tied to a moment tend to get reconsidered. That’s not a rule, but it’s a strong trend among people who pursue partial removal, keeping some work while erasing the rest.

How to Think About Your Own Ink Decisions

Davidson’s trajectory offers a few practical takeaways for anyone weighing a tattoo or a removal:

• Wait before committing to large or highly visible pieces. Impulse work is the most common source of regret.

• Consider placement with your career in mind. Hands, neck, and face are still professionally limiting in many fields.

• Ask about removability before you get inked. Some colors and styles are far harder to erase.

• Get a consultation before assuming cost. Removal pricing varies enormously by size, location, and clinic.

• Expect a timeline in months, not weeks. Plan around it rather than fighting it.

Why Celebrity Tattoo Stories Resonate

There’s a reason articles about Davidson’s ink get read. Tattoos are one of the few permanent decisions people make about their bodies, and permanence is intimidating. Watching someone with 200 of them walk some of that back is oddly reassuring. It says: you’re allowed to change your mind, even when the change is expensive and slow.

The Smithsonian has documented how body art has functioned as personal narrative across cultures, and that framing holds up here. A tattoo is a sentence written on the body. Removal is an edit. Neither is a failure.

Davidson has also been open about the mental health dimension. He’s spoken publicly about borderline personality disorder and about periods when his decision-making wasn’t at its best. Tying his tattoo removal to that broader self-improvement arc is honest, and it’s part of why the story lands with people who’ve made impulsive choices of their own.

Common Mistakes People Make With Tattoo Removal

Watching a high-profile case like Davidson’s, it’s easy to assume removal is simple. It isn’t, and a few avoidable errors trip people up constantly.

Choosing on price alone. Cheap laser treatment can mean outdated equipment, undertrained technicians, or a patchy result that costs more to fix later. Dermatology clinics and dedicated removal studios are not interchangeable.

Expecting one or two sessions. Complete removal of a large, saturated tattoo often requires ten or more visits. Quitting halfway leaves a faded, blurry remnant that can look worse than the original.

Skipping the patch test. A small test area reveals how your skin and the specific ink respond before you commit to a full treatment plan.

Ignoring aftercare. Sun exposure, picking at blisters, and skipping prescribed ointments all raise the risk of scarring or pigment changes.

Assuming full erasure is guaranteed. Sometimes the realistic goal is significant fading, not a blank canvas. Setting that expectation early prevents disappointment.

What Davidson’s Case Says About Modern Tattoo Culture

Tattoo acceptance has risen sharply over the past two decades, but so has removal. That combination isn’t contradictory. It reflects a culture where body modification is treated as reversible, adjustable, and personal rather than permanent and defining.

Davidson sits right at that intersection. He’s heavily tattooed and actively un-tattooing. He’s publicly joked about both. And his willingness to talk about the pain, cost, and motivation has made him an accidental spokesperson for a generation that treats their skin as a work in progress.

For anyone following his story, the takeaway isn’t “don’t get tattoos.” It’s “get them deliberately, and know that changing your mind is allowed, just not cheap.” That’s a more useful message than any before-and-after photo.

Conclusion

Pete Davidson’s tattoos tell a story that keeps rewriting itself. He built one of the most recognizable collections in comedy, then spent years methodically reducing it. The reasons are personal, the process is slow, and the results are visible to anyone paying attention. What makes his case worth studying isn’t the celebrity factor. It’s the honesty about impulse, regret, and the decision to change course.

Tattoos are permanent, but permanence isn’t the same as being stuck. Davidson’s approach, deliberate, gradual, and open about the trade-offs, is a reasonable model for anyone thinking about ink, removal, or both. The body is a long project. Editing it is allowed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many tattoos does Pete Davidson have?

He has publicly referenced having roughly 200 tattoos at his peak, though the exact count is impossible to verify because he has been removing pieces over time. Photographs from different years show a changing inventory, so any single number is a snapshot rather than a fixed fact.

Why is Pete Davidson removing his tattoos?

He has described the removals as a personal choice tied to feeling better about his appearance and moving past a period of impulsive decisions. Many of his tattoos were done quickly, sometimes during difficult stretches of his life, and removal became part of a broader effort to take control of how he presents himself.

Is laser tattoo removal painful?

Most people describe it as uncomfortable, often compared to a rubber band snapping repeatedly against the skin. Larger pieces take longer and hurt more. Topical numbing and cooling devices help, but the sensation is real, and multiple sessions are usually required.

How long does tattoo removal take?

Complete removal typically requires six to twelve sessions spaced six to eight weeks apart, meaning a full year or more for large pieces. Davidson’s scale, with dozens of tattoos, makes his timeline considerably longer than the average person’s.

Can all tattoos be fully removed?

No. Full clearance is possible for many tattoos but not guaranteed. Certain ink colors, especially greens and yellows, resist common laser wavelengths, and older or scarred tattoos can respond unpredictably. Many people achieve significant fading rather than complete erasure.

Should I get a tattoo if I might want it removed later?

If you’re already unsure, wait. Choose placement with your career in mind, ask about how the ink will respond to lasers, and avoid impulse decisions during emotionally intense periods. Removal works, but it’s expensive, slow, and uncomfortable, so a few weeks of thinking first is almost always worth it.

For readers weighing their own ink, the practical advice is simple: choose a reputable artist, follow aftercare instructions carefully, and photograph the healing process so you have a record if problems arise. Keep receipts and documentation from the original session, since some removal clinics ask about ink type and application date. And if removal becomes the goal, consult a board-certified dermatologist or an experienced removal specialist rather than booking the cheapest online deal. Davidson’s story ultimately isn’t a cautionary tale or an endorsement. It’s a reminder that bodies change, priorities shift, and the choices we make about our skin can be revised with time, effort, and a willingness to accept the cost.