Celebrities often seem to have the most tattoos — probably because they have the means to afford as many as they want.
But nonetheless, many of them have interesting stories behind them, good and bad. Some are tributes to late family members, some are cover-ups for relationships gone sour.
Here are our favorite celeb tattoo-tales! Let us know at the end of the article which one is your favorite!
Rihanna.
While the placement of Rihanna’s tattoo might seem risqué to some, it was actually meant to be a tribute to her late grandmother.
“Goddess Isis – Complete Woman – Model for future generations – #GRANGRANDOLLY – always in and on my heart #1love,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of her tattoo in 2012.
Ariana Grande.
Following her single “7 Rings” Ari had the name of the song inked on the palm of her hand in Japanese characters.
After posting a video of her new tattoo on social media, fans noticed that the tattoo actually translated to “tiny charcoal grill.”
She eventually went back to have it corrected, but unfortunately, they were unable to get an exact translation. Instead of having it removed, she kept it, and it’s made for a great story.
Pete Davidson.
One week before announcing his split from Ariana Grande, Pete was seen in a photo with a covered-up version of his Dangerous Woman-inspired bunny-ears tattoo .
He also had another one of his Ariana-inspired tattoos covered up with the word “cursed.”
Yikes!
Demi Lovato.
Demi impulsively had her friend’s set of lips tattooed on her wrist. But she claims it ended up resembling a vagina instead.
Years later, she had the tattoo covered up with a rose, and it looks gorgeous!
Kylie Jenner.
Kylie had a lowercase “t” tattooed on her ankle while she was still dating rapper, Tyga.
But after their split, she had it transformed into “LA” — which is probably more fitting, considering that’s where she lives. Wise choice!
Khloé Kardashian.
Khloé Kardashian had gotten a tattoo on her lower back as a tribute to her late father, but later called it a “tramp stamp” and had it removed.
“I should’ve listened to [sister] Kim when she told me ‘You don’t put a bumper sticker on a Bentley’,” she posted on Instagram .
Amber Rose.
While dating Wiz Khalifa, Amber had a portrait of his face tattooed on the back of her arm.
After their split, naturally, she had the tattoo covered up and replaced by Slash’s face instead. A bold move indeed!
Zoë Kravitz.
Fans pointed out that the Arabic text tattooed on Zoë’s shoulder was grammatically incorrect, and translated to something very different than “let love rule.”
She later had the tattoo covered up with a dragonfly.
Justin Biebier.
While most of Justin’s tattoos have religious meaning, he did have one that was dedicated to his ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez.
“This is my ex-girlfriend, so I tried to cut her face up with some shading, but people still know,” he told GQ .
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Sam Smith.
On Sam’s fingers, he inked a replica of markings he found on a mummified body.
“Second – this tattoo is inspired by one of the oldest tattoos ever found on a mummified body that was found buried alone in the ice,” he wrote on Instagram.
Adam Levine.
Adam’s Russian prisoner-inspired tattoo on his right shoulder still haunts him to this day, as he refuses to remove any of his ink.
He told Anderson Cooper that it looks like “a cauliflower with a sun in the middle of it. It’s just despicable-looking.”
Miley Cyrus.
Miley has the words “Just breathe,” tattooed on the side of her rib cage. She explained to Harper’s Bazaar that it was a tribute to her late grandfather.
“It reminds me not to take things for granted. I mean, breathing — that was something none of them could do, the most basic thing, and I put it near my heart, because that is where they will always be,” she said .
Kaley Cuoco.
Kaley had roman numerals tattooed on her back dedicated to her ex-husband, Ryan Sweeting. After their divorce, she had it covered up with a black and white moth.
“note to self- do not mark your body with any future wedding dates #under30mistakes #donttakeyourselftooseriouslykids,” she wrote on Instagram.
Halsey.
“In tattoo culture, you’re not supposed to tattoo a horseshoe upside down because it means all the luck is spilling out, so it’s actually bad luck,” she told iHeart Radio .
“I got an upside-down horseshoe to signify that I don’t need luck. I work really, really hard, and I believe in the stars aligning, but I don’t believe that anything happens to anyone based out of sheer luck. I believe people work really hard, and they manifest what they want, and what they need, and what they’re hopeful for, and that’s what this is — a reminder.”