Pete Davidson Reveals the Personal Reason Some of His Tattoos Covered His Scars

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Pete Davidson is opening up about a difficult period in his past and the personal meaning behind some of his many tattoos.

In a new interview with Variety, the 32-year-old comedian revealed that some of his tattoos were originally placed over scars from when he struggled with self-harm. Pasted markdown

“I used to cut,” Davidson told Variety. “Some of [my tattoos] covered up the cuts.”

Davidson, who became known for his extensive collection of body art, has since started the lengthy process of having many of his tattoos removed with laser treatments. There are still a few he plans to keep, including his portrait of Hillary Clinton.

His latest comments offer more insight into what some of the tattoos represented during a time when Davidson was struggling with his mental health and addiction. He has been open about those experiences over the years, but he also says he is now in a much different place.

Pete Davidson Says Therapy Helped Him Find Other Ways to Cope

Davidson previously discussed his history with self-harm during a 2024 appearance on Jon Bernthal’s “Real Ones” podcast. He said the behavior began when he was a child and continued into adulthood. Pasted markdown

Over time, Davidson said therapy helped those urges become “less and less and less.” He specifically credited dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, with teaching him healthier ways to get through difficult moments.

Davidson explained that some of those coping skills can be as simple as taking a cold shower, putting on a favorite song, watching a movie or calling a friend until the immediate feeling passes.

He has also worked on what he described as “black-and-white thinking.” Davidson said he used to have trouble separating one bad moment from everything else happening in his life. If something went wrong, he could quickly feel as though everything was falling apart. Pasted markdown

“I had to learn that if one little thing isn’t going the right way that doesn’t mean the whole ship sinks,” he said.

Pete Davidson Is in a Different Place Today

Davidson also spoke candidly with Variety about his past drug addiction and the period leading up to his 2023 rehab stay.

He said his drug use had become serious enough that he was using multiple substances and eventually reached a point where his tolerance frightened him. “It got scary because I didn’t feel high,” he recalled. Pasted markdown

Davidson said that period came after leaving “Saturday Night Live,” which had previously given his life structure. He was also making his autobiographical series “Bupkis,” and revisiting painful experiences for the show became difficult for him.

Eventually, Davidson decided to enter rehab. He told Variety that he is now sober from drugs and said it has been years since he used harder substances and more than a year since he stopped using marijuana. Pasted markdown

His life has changed in another major way since then. Davidson welcomed his daughter, Scottie, in December 2025, and he said becoming a father has made maintaining his sobriety easier. If thoughts about using drugs come up, Davidson said seeing his daughter’s photo on his phone helps bring him back to what matters.

For Davidson, getting to this point has meant learning how to handle difficult feelings differently instead of believing one bad moment has ruined everything.

“I’ve gotten a lot better,” he previously said. “I had to learn that if one little thing isn’t going the right way that doesn’t mean the whole ship sinks.”