Tattoo artist and TV personality Kat Von D has shared a new update on her tattoos after covering much of her body in black ink.
The 43-year-old first rose to fame on LA Ink, a reality show that ran from 2007. In 2020, she shocked fans by deciding to blackout many of her tattoos, spending over 40 hours covering them with black ink. She said she was tired of looking at her old tattoos and found the blackout process satisfying.
In 2021, Kat faced a lawsuit from photographer Jeff Sedlik, who claimed she copied his 1989 photo of jazz musician Miles Davis for a tattoo. After three years, a jury ruled in her favor and she was found not guilty of copyright infringement.
Now, four years later, Kat has begun removing some tattoos with laser treatment. She posted on Instagram that she celebrated her 18-year sobriety anniversary by starting tattoo removal at Removery. The video shows her having a flower tattoo removed from her neck.
Tattoo removal is known to be painful—sometimes even more than getting tattoos. Comedian Pete Davidson, who has removed many tattoos himself, described the process as “horrible.”
Kat also revealed that she has lost her passion for tattooing and does not want to tattoo anyone again after the stress of the lawsuit. She said, “My heart has been crushed through this in different ways.”
She expressed relief that the jury ruled in her favor, worrying that a guilty verdict would harm the tattoo industry. Kat added, “I lost weight, I lost hair, and I lost many nights of sleep over it.” Despite wanting to settle at times, she fought to protect artists and their work.
