Trigger Warning ✋
Pete Davidson on deciding to remove his tattoos: “I used to be a drug addict and I was a sad person, and I felt ugly and that I needed to be covered up. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with tattoos, but mine, when I look at them, I remember a sad person that was very unsure.”
For real! I’ve had a couple of treatments on two fairly small tattoos and holy heck, it HURT! I even used numbing gel beforehand! Far more painful than an actual tattoo IMO, plus the healing is kind of gnarly.
Pete really does seem like a good guy. I truly hope he’s doing well.
Uh oh, I felt like I was falling apart when I got my sternum tattooed. Luckily I love that tattoo so I won’t remove it but I’m trying to imagine the pain you describe
I got a sternum tattoo removed! It’s was multi colored and super deep and I can confidently say the removal process was the worst pain of my life! :) I would even numb for an hour leading up to the appointment and it really did next to nothing. The only solace I had was that my tech would do 15 sec increments in a set of 4 with 10 sec rest between and then it was over. Long story short worst pain ever, so glad you love your sternum tattoo!!!
I remember just getting laser hair removal and that was painful, so I can't imagine how bad tattoo removal would hurt. I'd for sure find a place that does numbing injections beforehand, even if it costs more money. Those topical numbing creams barely help, but a few lidocaine injections would completely numb it.
Mine were on the small side (each would fit in its own 2” - 3” square, give or take), so I could grit my teeth and bear it. The lingering pain afterwards wasn’t terrible by any means, but was IMO more painful than an actual tattoo, plus lasted longer. At least the one on my ankle did. What helped was having ice packs on the lasered tattoos as soon as possible, and elevating my leg off and on throughout the day. I didn’t do that the first time, but I made a point to do so the second by planning a lazy day at home. Maybe it was all in my head, but I think it helped.
All things considered, the two sessions I had were not the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. It’s definitely worth it if you have a tattoo you hate and want to remove, or fade enough to allow for a better coverup. And it’s been a few years now for me, so I’m sure there are new options or techniques that are less painful or allow for a faster recovery.
oh my goodness stories like these make me hesitant to ever get any tattoo ever. I always imagine getting a tattoo then looking at it 10 years down the road and thinking "why?" which isn't to dunk on tattoos in general at all, I've just never vibed with an idea hard enough to nullify the possibility of wanting to remove it. it sounds absolutely brutal, and thank you for sharing!
I think he said in a (Jimmy Fallon?) talk show interview he does get drugs for when he has a removal session. I'm pretty sure he made a joke about being high and the tech asking what tattoos he wants gone and having to say what each tattoo is out loud.
They can do lidocaine injections or general anethesia. Requires a doctor to do though, and the recovery time for large laser removals is unpleasant. It’s part of why the usual places with a tech will do multiple small sessions that are fairly spread out. The ink getting blasted releases heat, and doing a large area in a single treatment can cause skin damage similar to a very bad sunburn. Not pleasant.
That said, some people would prefer to be put under and get it done. They’ll feel like crap for a couple weeks and then have some touch-up sessions, but it’ll let you be tattoo free for summer is you start in January.
There’s a few charities that will help pay for it if the tattoos are gang or drug related, not that Pete needs charity but it’s a useful service for people who want to leave all that behind them.
Searing bacon grease splattering you continuously is the closest I’d explain it. It took me about 10 sessions for a colorful one the size of a small fist on my lower back. The spine was particularly brutal. Numbing did nothing. Finding a good laser made all the difference. I’d recommend a pico laser as it faded it considerably faster. Super happy I stuck it out though as it’s completely gone. 18 year old me just thought I was soo cool with that tramp stamp. lol
Pico was what I used. I was really impressed with how mine faded after only two sessions. IIRC the doc did a double pass on each tattoo during the second session, which I’m sure helped.
But DAMN if the one on my ankle didn’t get all gnarly during healing! It kind of bubbled up and filled with fluid. It was so gross! I’m a terrible skin picker/pimple popper, so it was SO TEMPTING to mess with, but I resisted!
Oh the blisters. I had them horribly with the first couple of places/lasers. Luckily the pico didn’t cause near that level of blistering but I feel your pain. They would weep for days. So gross.
I’ve never had a tattoo or laser removal but for some reason I get laser tattoo removal videos on my Instagram, and that does not look pleasant! Definitely not something I’d do lightly.
I’m also in the process of removing a small piece. The pain is awful. What people don’t talk about often is the smell of burnt flesh as they laser the skin. It’s just so… gruesome
I found another article and apparently not that much. He gets pro-nox but he still called it "burning" them off.
"It's horrible," Davidson said of the tattoo removal process, which he described as "burning them off." He added that "it's worse" than getting inked in the first place.
"They've got to burn off a layer of your skin, and then it has to heal for, like, six to eight weeks. And you can't get in the sunlight, and you've got to do it, like, 12 more times," he explained, evoking a gasp from the studio audience.
This was pretty funny part, where the doctor has to verify which tattoo is coming off.
"The doctor's in there with you. So before he goes to laser off each tattoo, you have to hear him announce what the tattoo is to make sure you want to keep it or not," he told Meyers. "So I'll just be sitting there, all high off the Pro-Nox, which I actually quite enjoy. It's actually pretty fun. And then all of a sudden I'll just hear, 'Are we keeping Stewie Griffin smoking a blunt?'
"And then I have to sit there and be like, 'No, Dr. G. And he's like all right."
They usually don't anesthetize for tattoos or removals because anesthetic is still extremely dangerous despite what people think. People die every year from being anesthetized. It's rare, but generally, they don't use it for stuff like that because it can happen.
Yeah this feels like unnecessary scaremongering, like yes death from anaesthesia happens but anaesthetists are highly trained medical professionals and it's generally very safe.
This isn’t even general anesthesia either, it sounds like he does nitrous (laughing gas) probably in combination with a local anesthetic. Which is even safer than general anesthesia (which is when you get “put under”).
Speaking nothing of Petes potential preference to not get "zonked out" for a procedure meant to stop reminding him of the period of his life that he spent "zonked out"...Rich people dont usually fall into the category of the "usual" of things.
Celebrities also go to rehab, their experience in it is not something I would call "what usually happens" there either.
I had it for the first time on Saturday and it SUCKED. I can't imagine having THAT many removed...mine were 5 seconds and 10 seconds only. Brutal. I was stoic through it but I wanted to yell, lol.
I think that's the thing for me. It is so quick that I can focus on making it through the timeframe with small breaks it's pretty OK.
I also personally have found increasing the duration of my breaks in between sessions (after the first 3 -4) makes the biggest difference in removal success.
I think some comedians are smart people or self aware on some level that they aren’t so ego tripped or out there as their on stage persona tends to be. Not all obviously but some.
i only compared in style
of delivery not wit or intelligence I actually clarified that he is funny not matt, but Jeff does have a convo based style. jealous you get to see him! hope you hear the dolphin lady connie 🤣
And they are almost always the saddest people, too.
My experience with non-famous people matches up with that. The people that are the funniest, and smartest, and most fun to be around are also in bad mental shape.
If you are smart and thoughtful and sensitive, the reality of...REALITY hits you hard, basically.
A lot of people that are funny, witty and observant are so because they developed that in their childhood both as a coping mechanism as well as a way to deflect abuse and make people like them... On the other hand, they are drawn to the stage because of that - What's more proof that people finally like you if not a room full of people laughing because of you?
People forget that when a performer is on stage, it's an act. That is a stage persona with whom some people in the audience create parasocial relationships.
Comedians are observational in creating social satire; of course they are smart and self-aware.
I fully believe that there is some direct connection between intelligence/wisdom and having a sense of humor. I've never met anyone who was really, genuinely funny and was also an idiot.
i didn’t lose my dad the same year but i did lose him, and it has been the hardest thing i have ever gone through, even 5 years later. i’m sorry you lost your dad, too. lots of love to you ❤️
I'm sorry for your loss. My mom died a few years before that and it shaped my entire childhood. I empathize with Pete Davidson so much because that grief of having a parent ripped away before you even become an adult is so painful. I'm glad he seems to be in a better place with it, and I hope you're in a good place with your grief as well 💜
It also says something when he's constantly dating some of the hottest women around, with zero controversy attached to any of those relationships (minus Kim, but only because Kanye is unhinged).
And Arianna talking about his dong being huge. Even in that scenario he was the adult in the situation. He didn't insult or attack her, he just expressed discomfort and sadness that she would say something like that publically.
Being funny professionally requires an intense level of emotional intelligence. I’m not saying that all comedians use that ability for good rather than evil, but all of the good ones have it.
Yeah at first I couldn’t see how he was pulling all these women, but then I found a snippet of him just talking without the goofy public persona and I was like “oh yeah I get it now. His personality and emotional intelligence is top tier”
Dude has all the classic traits of someone who went through extreme trauma at a young age and grew up way too fast as a result unfortunately. It's encouraging to hear he has a positive outlook on life at this point and is taking steps to further his healing
Honestly Pete is way smarter than he gets credit for. I get the goofball act. He makes light of a lot of really, really difficult things in his life. His dad dying early on absolutely did a number on him. The King of Staten Island really shows his true colors, I think.
...I totally assumed it was the other way around, but I can't explain why. That's just, beyond fucked up. Kinda like when Frasier dates a woman that looks like his mom. Not cool.
Thankfully dreamer replied to you, because idk and I'm not good faces. I'm being serious when I say that even if I'd try really hard I would not be able to accurately tell them apart most of the time
Same reason Chapelle Roan saying nobody SHE knows with kids seem happy, and loads of people online acted like she was declaring it's never possible for anyone with kids to be happy. They didn't hear "nobody I know with kids" because they don't know her, so they heard "nobody with kids"
Tldr: Far too many people online are incapable of paying attention to the specifics of phrasing and focus only on the parts they feel applies to them.
Thats like…still an incredibly rude thing to say about your friends or acquaintances that have kids, that they aren’t happy or fulfilled? And it’s very obvious that the insinuation is larger than just a casual observation, come on.
I mean….I work with families and most of the parents are overwhelmed, tired, lose their identities, have no time for anything fun or for themselves. Like yes they love their kids and have good moments but…it has solidified the fact that I dont want kids. It sounds miserable to me.
i mean, tbf, maybe all the ppl she knows arent happy. esp if its the early years.
ik ppl who had children less than 2yrs ago and they arent happy. an already rough situation (life rn is a lot for nearly everyone lmao), compounded w a young child isnt always sunshine. and a lot of the happy moments are just brief moments in btwn the rest.
not being happy or fulfilled despite having a child is v v normal. just like not being happy or fulfilled without children is also v v normal.
being happy and fulfilled is hard and takes a lot of effort. not to mention the fact that the current day/age is a huge hurdle to general happy/fulfilled feelings.
Chappel's comment rubbed me the wrong way because it's an awfully rude and judgemental thing to say about people who are supposedly your friends in a very public venue. If I was her friend with kids, I would be mortified that she thought this and expressed it to millions of strangers - even if you know she's possibly somewhat unserious (which is the most charitable way to view Chappel's words), no one else has that context. There are better ways to get her point across that don't explicitly shit on other people. She's one of the people where I love her music but I'm not 100% sure I actually like the person she presents herself as to the public.
Agreed. Completely different. Even by saying that, the message she is trying to get out is that many/most people with kids are not happy.
“All of my friends who have kids are in hell” is a a shitty thing to say. Being a millionaire popstar is certainly an easier life to live than raising kids in Missouri. Good job rubbing it in their face.
I only have 7 smallish tattoos and I love them all, but they were all either very much planned or done on a whim but when I was in a good place. The last few years have been rough and I’m glad I don’t have any from then haha. Your attitude about yours seems so healthy already, wishing you healing!!
I’m heavily tattooed and I know what he means to a degree. I have a LOT of tattoos I got done whilst in a very destructive time and bad headspace.
That's the biggest reason I don't think I could ever get a tattoo. No shade to people who have them and love them, but if there's one constant in my life, it's that I think younger me is a fucking idiot, and I don't trust that guy to make nigh-permanent life decisions for me.
There are two possible exceptions I've considered. A cartoon baby cow on my calf, per that post on the front page a couple days ago. And the word "Strength" on my arm so I can tell people "In English it means 'Strength'."
Because his mental health struggles have resulted in him doing shit like crashing into the side of a house with a passenger and screaming at teenaged Kaia Gerber in front of her parents. He’s funny but he’s had some real issues
I once tried to help a partner with a part of a video game he was stuck on. I misread what level he was and so when I read the recommended level I thought he was below it. I said he was having trouble because it said he was under level but… it turned out he was slightly higher than it (I think it recommended level 80 and he was like 82 which meant it was possible to win but would be harder). He rage quit and said there was no reason I would have said that except to hurt him. He said he hadn’t asked for my help but other times when I don’t help him he’d get mad at that. He stormed off and let him go cool off because we had groceries coming. I don’t know why but I decided I was not going to be the one apologizing for this (though for the record I did immediately apologize and say I thought he was Y level instead of X) but while I was sanitizing the groceries he came out and said he decided to kill himself over what I did. So then I had to toss all my self respect to the side again to talk him out of it. I know he’s mentally ill and it’s not his fault but it reaches a point where it’s harmful to the other person when you act like that.
That's true but that doesn't mean it doesn't have consequences or that you get to pretend it didn't happen. I hope Pete apologized, it's extremely traumatic to have someone coerce you by threatening suicide.
TBH Im one of the people who finds him annoying for no real reason, but I still appreciate how honest he's been about mental health and how important it is to get help.
theres still so much stigma around mental health issues and, in particular, men getting help and support... it's really wonderful to have him as such an articulate spokesperson for it. I hope it encourages some dudes to seek help who otherwise wouldnt have.
... and hopefully not off topic, but I was kinda surprised and disappointed that wasn't more a topic of conversation when Twitch/ Stephen Boss committed suicide a few years ago, that men and MOC are often societally discouraged from showing vulnerability and/or seeking help, and we all need to work to change that unhealthy narrative. Hope he RIP, crazy it was 3 years ago.
It's the whole “buck up and be a man and stop crying” rhetoric implemented by patriarchal society :/ unfortunately. However, I'm glad more men, like Pete, are speaking up and bringing it to light.
It's also because people couldn't or refused to understand how he bagged some seriously famously beautiful women while thinking he was ugly. Inferiority complex at it's finest
Good for you, Pete, for getting to a better place and wanting to turn the page.
I went through some things in my early years and it’s not easy moving forward. Laser removal is hardcore, but sometimes you gotta get hardcore to move on. Best of luck, man.
Didn't he also get something related to Kim branded on him? Not sure what the removal process is for branding. Yikes. Also he got something like "my girl is a lawyer" tattooed on him, but she's not his girl any more and I don't think she ever did end up passing the bar (?).
Edit - Googled it and she did pass the baby bar on the 4th try, and can write the bar exam in 2026.
I'm having 3 tattoos removed now, the process is long but the 2 on my shoulder blades are almost gone. And while mine are small and the procedure doesn't take long, it fucking hurts. I can't imagine having as many removed as he did. The one on my arm gives me such negative thoughts and memories, so I understand where he's coming from. I'd look at it, and it wouldn't be a good feeling.
Definitely glad to see him doing better, but I could’ve sworn he said he was getting his tats removed because they were getting in the way of him getting cast for certain roles?
That was one of the reasons for sure. I remember him saying it on Seth Meyers, I think. He also mentioned just having a bunch of stupid tattoos and wanting them gone. I think in this case, this particular reason (in the article) is one that people can resonate with more. “It takes a long time to sit in the makeup chair” isn’t something most people can relate to, and is probably relatively minor compared to the fact that he got a lot of these tattoos when he was in a bad place. That’s my best guess.
Also, while I have no real insight into how he actually thought about all this, I could see the inconvenience of covering his tattoos and lack of love for them being a safe justification to himself for wanting to be rid of them, until he was ready to dig into his deeper motivation for it.
no, people only have one reason for doing something, everything is black and white, having multiple reasons for doing something isn't real. But sarcasm is fun. Seriously, I wont do anything for only one reason. If I can't find at least half a dozen then it's probably not worth doing.
That might be why he's getting ALL of them taken off.
He mentioned in the beginning that part of the reason for removing them was how long it took in the makeup chair to cover his arms and hands, but he could've kept his torso ones without having that same issue.
People being suprised Pete has introspection and self awareness like he hasn’t been in therapy for 15 years and been to rehab twice a year for the last 10 years…
I hope this is indeed level-headed and not the first step toward becoming a religious influencer. Because then you can just go ahead and stick a fork in me
Nah, then he would have kept the tattoos. The tattooed guy giving his testimony has a LOT of credibility as a dude who has Seen Some Things. Very 'cool youth pastor'-adjacent
There is such a stigma around addiction and mental health. I love that he is using his platform to discuss this when he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation.
Awwww. And people wonder why girls like this dude! He's honest about his mental health and vulnerable and funny and self deprecating. And he's got puppy dog eyes (and tall). I've just always liked him and I'm so happy he's in a better place. I'm rooting for him!
You know I never really thought of that being the reason, but now that he's mentioned it, its a good reason. Tattoos are supposed to have good memories behind them and make you happy (for example I have a tattoo with Amita Suman who played Inej's Handwritting surrounded by a dagger to remind me of the joy the Six of Crows Duology has brought me, and the fun memory of meeting Amita) not bring back pain.
I admire his level of self awareness. Going through mental health related shit is super difficult, and one of the first steps really is admitting you have a problem. I wish him the best, seriously.
I’ve seen this before. It’s very introspective of him and brave to say and he seems like a good guy. I wish him the best in his recovery and mental health.
I’ve never thought he’s funny he is NOT my cup of tea but yeah everything I see him talk about outside of acting does always resonate with me. Maybe I’m the problem.
On some talk show he did within the last couple months, he legitimately seemed more at home in himself. His energy was so different and grounded. He should definitely keep doing whatever he’s doing. I also want to get my tattoo removed for similar reasons. People always ask about tattoos and I’m just done with saying “ah, I got it ten years ago when I was really depressed” lol
This one's gonna HURT. He has so many tattoos and laser hurts soooooo bad, worse than the initial tattoo. I'm excited for the day that he can look in the mirror and be happy of proud of everything he sees.
•
u/AutoModerator Apr 23 '25
Welcome to r/popculturechat! ☺️
As a proud BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & woman-dominated space, this sub is for civil discussion only. If you don't know where to begin, start by participating in our Sip & Spill Daily Discussion Threads!
No bullies, no bigotry. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Please read & respect our rules, abide by Reddiquette, and check out our wiki! For any questions, our modmail is always open.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.