‘SNL’ Star Pete Davidson Reveals Tattoo Removal Update

Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson has started the tattoo removal process, but he has a long way to go before it’s finished. The comedian gave an interview with PEOPLE this week, revealing that he is undergoing laser treatments to get about 100 of his tattoos removed. He said that the whole process will be complete “by the time I’m 30.”

Davidson said that laser tattoo removal is incredibly painful, extremely time-consuming and it takes a long time to heal. He said that it has actually been “about four or five months” since his last session under the laser because it takes “like a month for it to heal” each time. “We’re shooting some stuff,” he added, so the timing on such a recovery process is not good. Even with no other obligations, Davidson could only get under the laser once every 12 weeks in order to do the process properly, so it will take years to remove all of his ink.

“I get my next treatment [in] like a month or so. They said by the time I’m 30, they should all be gone. So they got like two more years left of this,” he explained. Davidson, currently 27 years old, is known for his self-deprecating humor, often teasing his younger self for his bold and erratic tattoo choices. He joked that he was surprised when Smart Water agreed to partner with him on an ad campaign based on his tattoo removal.

“After they called…I fell on the floor and started laughing for about three hours,” he joked. “Honestly, as soon as I heard ‘Smart Water brand deal’, I went deaf.”

Davidson appears in a new Smart Water ad premiering on Monday which shows him in the tattoo removal chair getting his arm worked on. In the clip, he says: “I’ve made a lot of questionable choices, and a couple of them need removing. But now I’m trying to make smarter choices, hydrating with Smart Water and stuff like that.”

The ad is a part of a new campaign called Rehydration Day, where Smart Water aims to encourage Americans to replenish their bodies after the Fourth of July celebrations. Davidson said: “The [Rehydration Day] campaign is intended to encourage people to, you know, make smarter choices and keep living smarter. After the 4th of July, the world’s first-ever Rehydration Day is dedicated to get[ting] our nation back on its feet, ‘Cause [there] will be partying on July 4th… It’s very important to stay hydrated the next day.”

Davidson’s new look with fewer tattoos may help him achieve a more clean-cut aesthetic for his burgeoning career beyond SNL. The comedian has had success with several big movies recently, and he has three more on the way. It is not yet clear if he will return for Saturday Night Live Season 47 in the fall.