<p id=”par-1_130″>Pete Davidson has spent the better part of the last several years quietly restoring his body to its factory settings. The comedian and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/pete-davidson-smaller-role-snl.html/”>former <em>Saturday Night Live</em> cast member </a>has been turning back the hands of time by removing the tattoos that have adorned most of his body for years. The project began in 2020, and while it’s not yet complete, he’s making serious progress. During his recent appearance at CinemaCon 2026, he showed off a largely blank canvas. His arms, once a sprawling encyclopedia of ink, were practically bare. He has spent a lot of time, money, and effort to get to this point, but that doesn’t mean Pete Davidson is against tattoos now. In fact, he’s added a new one during his removal journey, and it’s incredibly meaningful.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-long-expensive-painful-road-to-bare-skin”>The Long, Expensive, Painful Road to Bare Skin</h2>
<p id=”par-2_70″>At one point, Pete Davidson had around 200 tattoos. He didn’t seem to have a style preference, nor did he seem particularly fussed with ensuring the artwork formed a cohesive picture. He appeared to enjoy, for years, letting tattoo artists doodle across his skin. That changed in 2020, when he embarked on a mission to have them removed. He even described the process in excrutiating detail during a 2025 interview.</p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Pete Davidson Reveals He Gets ‘Put Under’ for PAINFUL Tattoo Removal Process” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/df8optZW0RE?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-3_93″>In a chat with <a href=”https://variety.com/2025/shopping/news/pete-davidson-tattoo-removal-online-dating-social-media-1236374150/”>Variety</a>, Davidson spoke candidly about the removal process, saying, “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.” Davidson has had to do it over and over again for years, and he isn’t anywhere near finished. “My arms are pretty much gone, and my hands and neck are gone. But I still have to do my torso and back,” he explained during the chat.</p>
<p id=”par-4_80″>The time and pain of tattoo removal might have most people avoiding getting inked in the first place. If that’s not convincing, though, the cost of the removal process is nothing to laugh at, either. Davidson revealed that he had sunk around $200,000 into the project thus far. At that point, he estimated he was about 30% through the removal process. If you do the math, that means he could spend close to $1 million on tattoo removal, all in.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-one-new-tattoo-for-a-very-good-reason”>One New Tattoo, for a Very Good Reason</h2>
<p id=”par-5_53″>Pete Davidson has been open and honest about his tattoo removal journey. He’s explained why he had so many tattoos and why he pursued removal in th first place. While he’s still dedicated to the process, he’s not opposed to adding new tattoos that make him happy and that he feels are meaningful.</p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt Reveal First Look at Daughter, Named After His Late Dad” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/j09aCklG9vk?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-6_44″>During his CinemaCon appearance, he sported a new tattoo on his face, close to his left ear. The tattoo is simple, vertical letters spelling out the name “Scottie.” The name belongs to his infant daughter, born to his girlfriend, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/pete-davidson-elsie-hewitt-welcome-baby-girl.html/”>Elsie Hewitt</a>, in late 2025.</p>
<p id=”par-7_46″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/pete-davidson-elsie-hewitt-welcome-baby-girl.html/”>The name Scottie </a>is a tribute to Davidson’s late father, Scott Davidson, an FDNY firefighter who died in the September 11 attacks. While the pair has opted to keep Scottie’s life mostly private, the tattoo is a solid reminder of how seriously he is taking fatherhood.</p>