Pete Davidson Reveals the Embarrassing Dave Chappelle Tattoo He Had to Cover Up

Pete Davidson is no stranger to tattoos — and no stranger to regret. In a candid revelation, the comedian opened up about one of his most humiliating tattoos: a quote from Dave Chappelle inked across his chest that read, “Jokes come and go, but swag is forever.” Davidson got the tattoo when he was just 19 or 20, after meeting Chappelle, who praised his set and shared those words of advice. At the time, the young comedian was so starstruck that he decided to permanently etch the phrase onto his body. But years later, Pete admitted it wasn’t his best idea. He confessed that the tattoo felt “pretty bad” and “so dumb,” worrying that people might think the quote was his own rather than Chappelle’s. To cover the ink, Pete opted for a massive design of Bruce the Shark from Jaws, explaining that it needed to be “huge” to fully black it out. This incident is just part of Pete’s broader journey of tattoo removal — a grueling process costing around $200,000 and expected to take another decade to complete. For Pete, this effort isn’t just cosmetic; it represents leaving behind painful reminders of his past struggles with addiction, low self-esteem, and impulsive decisions. In this video, we explore Pete’s tattoo regret, the story behind the Chappelle quote, and his ongoing quest for a clean slate.