Pete Davidson reveals ‘brutal’ consequence of removing all his tattoos in $200K saga

See more of our coverage in your search results. Pete Davidson revealed he’s only been wearing sweaters for the past six months after spending $200,000 to remove all of his tattoos. “It’s brutal,” the “Saturday Night Live” alum said of the ongoing process during an interview with E! News at the “How to Rob a Bank” premiere in New York City on Tuesday. “You don’t know what’s going on under there,” he quipped, referring to the distinct stages your skin undergoes in between procedures. Pete Davidson arrives at the premiere of “How to Rob a Bank” in New York City, Tuesday, where he discussed his ongoing tattoo removal process. ZUMAPRESS.com The actor (seen above in 2019) told E! News at the red carpet event that he’s been having to wear sweaters amid the ongoing treatment. instagram While Davidson’s skin is nearly free of tattoos after he started the multi-year process in 2020, he joked that “they might come back.” In fact, the 32-year-old actor recently debuted his daughter Scottie’s name inked on the side of his ear during an appearance at Las Vegas CinemaCon in April. At the time, he took the stage to show off his nearly bare arms, wearing a red T-shirt with small patches of his ink that were hardly visible. “It’s brutal,” Davidson (seen here in April with fewer tattoos) said. instagram “You don’t know what’s going on under there,” Davidson (seen above in February 2025) joked. instagram Davidson welcomed his daughter with his ex-girlfriend Elsie Hewitt in December 2025. The “Freak Brothers” alum’s arms and chest were once covered with about 200 tattoos. However, he now plans on only keeping two or three. During a January 2025 appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Davidson told the TV personality that he was “trying to clean-slate it” and his ink was “almost gone” now. Davidson (seen here in August) started his tattoo removal process in 2020. GC Images The comedian (seen here) in May said he wanted a clean slate. Getty Images for Netflix Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! “I’ve been burning them off,” he explained, sharing that the removal process felt “worse” than getting the tattoos. “They burn off a layer of your skin, then it has to heal for six to eight weeks,” the “Suicide Squad” star said. “You can’t get in the sunlight. And then you’ve got to do it, like, 12 more times.” Davidson warned the audience to really consider the tattoos they want, rather than making impulse decisions, referring to himself as a “sad boy” when he got inked. “I’ve been burning them off,” he said during an interview in January 2025. (Seen here: Davidson in a Reformation ad.) Angelo Pennetta for Reformation Davidson (seen above at CinemaCon in April) has described the process as more painful than getting inked. instagram The “King of Staten Island” star also admitted that his tattoos have affected his acting career, explaining he would spend up to three hours in a makeup chair to cover them. “For some reason, people in movies, they don’t have them that much,” he said on a previous episode of “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” Among the “Wild ‘N Out” alum’s tattoos were special tributes to his now-ex-girlfriends Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian and Cazzie David. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!