Pete Davidson has spent years turning his body into a scrapbook: tattoos that came fast, often tied to the moment he was living in, the jokes he was telling, the relationships he was in, and the version of himself he was trying on at the time. Now he’s doing the least Pete Davidson thing possible. Editing.
The comedian and actor has talked about removing most of his tattoos in a long, expensive process he’s described as painful and intentional, a reset from decisions he no longer connects with. But two tributes have survived his era of tattoo removal. His daughter’s name, and the one tattoo he refuses to erase.
A Baby Name That Reads Like a Tribute, Not a Trend
In December 2025, Davidson and Elsie Hewitt announced the arrival of their daughter, Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson.
“Scottie” has been widely reported as a tribute to Davidson’s late father, Scott Matthew Davidson, a New York City firefighter who died in the Sept. 11 attacks. Davidson was seven when it happened, and he has spoken publicly over the years about how the loss shaped him. “Rose” is also Hewitt’s middle name, which makes the full name feel like a split-screen nod to both parents’ roots.
In a celebrity world where baby names can feel like branding, this one reads the opposite. It’s personal and rooted in family history. He’s not just collecting moments anymore. He’s preserving meaning.
The Hillary Tattoo He’s Keeping
Back in December 2017, Davidson revealed a tattoo of Hillary Clinton and called her his “hero,” and wrote that he admired her toughness, as outlets reported at the time.
Years later, while explaining why he’s removing so much ink, Davidson said the Clinton tattoo is staying. In a 2025 interview recap, he said he got it after she lost the 2016 election because he admired how tough she was, and he wanted to cheer her up.
What makes this detail interesting isn’t the politics; it’s what Davidson considers permanent. He’s removing tattoos tied to phases and impulse. He’s keeping the ones he frames as tributes to strength.
What These Two Choices Suggest About What He Values
Davidson seems to honor people in two lanes.
One lane is personal origin, the person who shaped his life before he had a say in it. Naming his daughter Scottie, widely reported as a nod to his late father, falls squarely into that first lane.
The second lane is admiration, respect for toughness, public endurance, and bouncing back after an obvious setback. That’s how Davidson has framed the Clinton tattoo more than once.
You don’t have to agree with Clinton to understand the impulse. Davidson isn’t asking anyone to sign on to an ideology; instead, he’s pointing to a trait he says he values. He’s signaling the traits he respects, and he’s done it in the most Davidson way possible. With a tattoo.
When Someone Erases Almost Everything, What Remains Becomes the Story
It’s easy to reduce Davidson to headlines, relationships, and punchlines, but the choices he’s made lately point to something more consistent. He’s been willing to erase the tattoos tied to fleeting moments, while holding onto what he considers real. A daughter’s name that reportedly honors his father. The one ‘hero’ tattoo he says he’s keeping, because he sees it as a symbol of strength.
If he’s determined to remove almost everything, the few things he refuses to let go of become the actual story.