Pete Davidson opens up about his emotional and painful decade-long tattoo removal journey.

Pete Davidson is no stranger to transformation—onstage, on screen, and now, on skin. The comedian and former Saturday Night Live star, 31, has laid bare the painful and deeply personal reasons behind his decision to erase all 200 of his tattoos, in what he reveals will be a gruelling ten-year journey.

In a candid conversation with Variety, Davidson explained how his once-vast canvas of ink—ranging from quirky doodles to emotional tributes—became a visual reminder of darker days he’s eager to leave behind. “I used to be a drug addict and I was a sad person,” he admitted. “I felt ugly and that I needed to be covered up.”

Davidson confessed that many of his tattoos stemmed from moments of escapism. One, in particular, stands out as a bitter symbol of the past: SpongeBob SquarePants smoking a joint, inked onto his back during a high. “When I look in the mirror, I don’t want the reminder of ‘Oh yeah, you were a f****** drug addict.’”

That realisation led him to start afresh, opting for a clean slate both mentally and physically. For Davidson, tattoo removal isn’t just aesthetic—it’s psychological recovery. “They should have meaning,” he said. “Not just that I was high watching Game of Thrones.”

But the decision to wipe his body of ink isn’t a quick fix. It’s an agonising, time-consuming process, one tattoo at a time. Davidson revealed the reality of removal: each tattoo takes between 10 to 12 sessions, with six weeks of healing time in between. “It’s gonna take me another 10 years,” he said bluntly.

He didn’t sugar-coat the pain either. “It’s pretty horrible,” he said, likening the sensation to “putting your arm on a grill and burning off a layer.” The sessions require maintenance, recovery, and mental grit. “It sucks, I’m not gonna lie.”

Davidson first began the removal process in 2020, and it’s already cost him around $200,000. However, he’s determined to finish what he started. Recently, he showed off his dramatically changed look in a Reformation campaign for Valentine’s Day, marking the first time fans saw his ink-free torso—a bold symbol of change and self-reclamation.

Though once famous for tattoos dedicated to ex-girlfriends, pop culture icons, and spontaneous laughs, Davidson’s collection now represents a bygone version of himself—one he’s actively shedding.

What remains is a man evolving. “I’m just removing them and starting fresh, because that’s what I think works best for me and for my brain,” he shared.

The Bupkis actor, who has long been candid about his struggles with mental health and substance use, continues to win praise for his raw honesty and vulnerability. His tattoo journey, painful though it may be, is a powerful metaphor for his personal growth: messy, slow, but profoundly deliberate.

As fans look on, many see more than a celebrity erasing tattoos—they see a man confronting his past and building a new future, one painful laser session at a time.