Pete Davidson Spent $200K on 'Years-Long' Tattoo Removal, Is Doing 'Really Well' Since Getting Sober in September (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Pete Davidson Details Process of Removing All But ‘2 or 3’ of His 200 Tattoos.Photo:NBC

NBC

Pete Davidsonpaid a pretty penny to tone down his tattoos.

A source tells PEOPLE that the actor andSaturday Night Livealum, 30, has spent $200,000 to undergo the process of having his multiple inkings removed from his body.

“He just woke up one day and wanted them gone, and it’s been a years-long process,” the source says of the procedure.

A second source adds that the tattoo removal is also marking a fresh start for Davidson, who “has been sober since September, and gained twenty pounds.”

“Things are going really well for him,” the insider tells PEOPLE. “Things are heading in the right direction, and he’s receiving excellent reviews for the movie.'”

While promoting his new movieDog Manon the Friday, Jan. 31 episodeToday, Davidson was very candid about just how painful the tattoo removal process has been.

“It’s pretty terrible, so if anybody out there is watching and thinking about getting a tattoo, make sure you really want to get it,” hetold hosts Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvinwhile pulling up his sleeve to show the faded tattoos on his forearm. “It’s pretty gone.”

Davidson, who started the long-term journey ofremoving his tattoos in 2020, added that his decision to get sober fueled his desire to change his appearance.

“I got sober and I saw myself in the mirror and I was like, ‘Nah. Who that?' I was like, ‘I got to change it up a little bit.'”

In July of 2024, hechecked into a wellness facilityafter also seeking treatment to address issues related to PTSD and borderline personality disorder in 2023.

MGK and Pete Davidson in October 2024.Virisa Yong/BFA.com/Shutterstock

Virisa Yong/BFA.com/Shutterstock

Davidson’s tattoos ranged from tributes to past girlfriends to a portrait of Hillary Clinton, but he has been speaking out since at least 2020 expressing his interest in having them removed in order to continue his career in acting.

“I honestly never thought that I would get an opportunity to act and I love it a lot,“Davidson previously saidonLate Night with Seth Meyersin May 2021. “It takes like three hours — you have to get there like three hours earlier — to cover all your tattoos. For some reason, people in movies, they don’t have them that much.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian att he 2022 Met Gala.Gotham/Getty

In addition to him having the initials “KNSCP” (Kardashian and herfour children’s initials — North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm, whom she shares with her ex-husbandKanye West), Davidson also had a memorable moment with the reality star, 44, inked on his body.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

After theSKIMSmogul appeared in a 2021SNLskit with him, theBodies Bodies Bodiesstar added the names “Aladdin” and “Jasmine” and an infinity sign, referencing a scene where they kissed.

A source previously told PEOPLE that the pairstill talkfrom time to time.

“He’s still friends with pretty much all his exes. Nothing bad happened between him andMadelyn [Cline]. It just ran its course. He and Kim still talk occasionally. He’s a good guy, and they root for him,” the source adds.

source: people.com