Pete Davidson, Khloe Kardashian and More Stars Who Have Had Tattoos Removed
We have an inkling you’ll want to see Pete Davidson’s new look.
The Saturday Night Live alum gave fans another peek at his ongoing tattoo removal process while appearing in the long-running series' sketch about the Duane Read in New York’s Port Authority bus terminal with host (and close pal) John Mulaney on Nov. 2.
And while Pete hasn’t recently commented on his nearly bare arms, he previously explained how his tats affected how he got ready for movie roles.
“I honestly never thought that I’d get an opportunity to act, and I love it a lot,” the Bodies Bodies Bodies star said on a 2021 episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers. “It takes like three hours—you have to get there three hours earlier—to cover all your tattoos.”
And he admits it hasn’t been an easy process.
“Burning them off is worse than getting them,” Pete added. “Because not only are they burning off your skin, but you’re wearing these big goggles so you can’t see anything and the doctor’s in there with you. So before he 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.”
For example, the comedian continued, "All of a sudden I’ll just hear, 'Are we keeping a Stewie Griffin smoking a blunt?’ And then I have to sit there and be like, 'No Dr. G.'"
Ultimately, Pete feels like there’s a lesson in all of this.
“If you’re gonna get tattoos, just make sure you really, really want it,” the 30-year-old said, “and aren’t on mushrooms."
Still, Pete is hardly the only celebrity who’s had second thoughts about a tattoo. Victoria Beckham, Mark Wahlberg, Kaley Cuoco and Khloe Kardashian are just a few of the other stars who have also backtracked.
To see even more big names who’ve gone through the tattoo removal process, keep reading.
After the Spice Girls alum removed several tattoos she'd gotten in honor of husband David Beckham, social media users started to wonder if there was trouble in paradise. However, Victoria set the record straight.
"I had these tattoos a long, long time ago, and they just weren’t particularly delicate," she explained on a 2022 episode of Today. "My husband has so many gorgeous tattoos, and the children do and they’re very fine. And they’ve had them created by the most phenomenal artists. But mine were just a little bit thick and they were bleeding a little bit and just not looking as pretty."
So no, the tattoo removal didn't reflect the state of Victoria's marriage to the soccer star, with whom she shares kids Brooklyn Beckham, Romeo Beckham, Cruz Beckham and Harper Beckham.
"I think the media started to speculate was I leaving my husband?" the fashion designer continued. "No, I was just a bit sick of the tattoo. It’s as simple as that."
After her whirlwind engagement and subsequent marriage to former tennis star Ryan Sweeting fell apart, The Big Bang Theory actress found herself at a tattoo parlor trying to "right her wrongs."
What were her wrongs you ask? Getting her wedding date tattooed on her back.
Taking to Instagram to post a picture of the removal process, Kaley—who later wed and divorced equestrian Karl Cook and is now engaged to actor Tom Pelphrey—shared words of wisdom with her followers.
"Thank you @nero_sct @studiocitytattoo for helping me right my wrongs.." she wrote, "note to self- do not mark your body with any future wedding dates #under30mistakes#donttakeyourselftooseriouslykids."
Following her divorce from basketball player Tony Parker, the Desperate Housewives star had not one, not two, but three tattoos to remove. These included her former husband's jersey number on the back of her neck, their wedding date on her wrist and his initials.
In 2009, Panettiere got a tattoo that said "live with no regrets" written in Italian on her left rib cage—sounds cool, right? She thought so, too, until she realized that it was misspelled—from no regrets to instant regret. The actress began the process of getting it removed in 2013.
The Departed star was ready to have his tattoos depart from his body. In fact, he previously revealed he had eight or nine removed. The reason?
"Maturity," Mark said on a 2020 episode of The Late Late Show, "sensibility."
Although, getting them removed was not an easy process.
"It took me five years to get the tattoos removed, and it's dreadfully painful," the actor continued, likening the pain to having "hot bacon grease getting flicked on you over and over and over again."
While Marilyn Monroe is an icon, Megan had no problem erasing her from her arm.
In 2012, the Jennifer's Body actress began the process of having her tattoo of Marilyn, a memento from her rebellious 19-year-old self, removed.
"It's traumatic and it's incredibly painful," Megan said on a 2012 episode of The Tonight Show, per Us Weekly. "They can't numb it enough to make the pain go away."
In the 1990s, Melanie had the name of her then-husband, Antonio Banderas, tattooed inside of a heart on her right arm. When the couple initially split, his name mysteriously vanished from her body.
Before Brangelina, there was Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie.
After the couple divorced in 2003, the Maleficent star had a tattoo of the Sling Blade alum's name removed from her left arm. Since then, she has replaced it with coordinates of her family's birthplaces.
In 2008, the supermodel got the name of her then-husband Seal tattooed on her right forearm to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary.
But when the couple called it quits in 2012, part of Heidi's healing process included removing the declaration of love from her body. These days, all that remains of the original ink are three stars symbolizing the couple's children together.
At one point, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star had two tattoos that she got in memory of her father. However, as of March 2017, she only has one. The tattoo that remains showcases the words, "I love you," on her wrist written in her father's handwriting. The tattoo that the reality star decided to remove was a cross and angel wings with the word "Daddy" written on her backside.
Khloe even took to Snapchat to share the entire removal process with fans.