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Tattoos and regret are a common pair. When you first get inked, there's a rush of excitement and you can’t wait to show off your new artwork. But what happens if your tattoo doesn’t live up to your expectations? Maybe what you envisioned in your mind didn’t quite translate with the tattoo artist’s work. Or perhaps the design seemed perfect in the moment, but it hasn’t aged well. Since tattoos are permanent, you might feel stuck—unless you’re considering other options.
Amidst the frustration, regret, and sometimes anger that comes with a bad tattoo, cover-ups have always provided an escape. While cover-ups can often feel like a better alternative to removal (and the scarring that comes with it), occasionally the results of these cover-ups are even worse than the original tattoos. Here are the top 10 worst cover-up attempts where things could’ve definitely turned out better.
10. Adding Some Chest Hair to the Mix
Gorilla tattoos can look cool in the right context. But not every cover-up is a happy ending. Take this man, for instance, who originally had a tattoo of his girlfriend’s face on his upper arm. When things fell apart in their relationship, he didn’t exactly want to be reminded of his ex every time he looked at his arm. So, he opted for a cover-up, but it didn’t quite go as planned.
To cover up the poorly executed tattoo of his ex-girlfriend, he decided to replace it with a gorilla design. However, the result wasn't exactly impressive. Let’s just say Jane Goodall wouldn’t have been a fan. The man ended up spending more money and getting a lot more ink than he likely bargained for.
9. A Cover-Up of Grande Proportions
Anyone who follows American pop music and knows Ariana Grande is familiar with her short-lived but highly publicized relationship with Pete Davidson. It was rocky, but somehow they made it work for a while.
When the couple was madly in love, Davidson got a tattoo with Ariana’s name on it. Sweet, right? But like many Hollywood relationships, things took an unexpected turn. After their breakup in October 2018, Davidson decided to erase her name from his body—literally. He quickly covered it with the word ‘cursed.’ What he meant by this remains unclear, but the sentiment is clear enough. Thank you, next!
8. The Devil’s in the Details
Seriously, can we stop getting other people’s faces inked on our bodies? It almost never ends well. This individual decided to get their girlfriend’s face tattooed on their arm (here we go again). While the original portrait wasn’t horrendous, it wasn’t exactly a masterpiece either. She kind of resembled a puppet from Jeff Dunham’s act.
So, when the ink owner was ready to move on, they chose to cover it up. And, unsurprisingly, it only got worse. The tattoo artist turned the girlfriend’s face into a devilish version, complete with horns, a red face, and sharp teeth. Everything that could go wrong with this cover-up did. It ended up being far worse than the original tattoo. Breakups have a funny way of bringing out the worst in people.
7. Ink Happens
Broken hearts seem to be the leading cause of tattoo regrets. In an attempt to cover up their ‘bad decisions,’ couples often make things worse. That was the case for this internet user, who shared their breakup story online with the caption, ‘sh*t happens.’ The name ‘Olivia’ meant something at one point, but the magic appears to have faded.
Regret is natural, but how you handle it going forward is what truly matters. This user tried to erase the name ‘Olivia’ by crossing it out, but it was still visible. Instead of a fresh, creative design, they’re stuck with the ghost of their breakup for life.
6. Tramp Stamp Cover-up Failures
Whoever Edwin is, he certainly made a quick impression—both on his body and across the internet. In a post shared by an anonymous user, the first image shows the lovebirds so deeply smitten that they got each other’s names tattooed. Edwin’s name was inked between two stars on the lower back.
In the second slide, we see that the stars have been added to the tattoo, now with a bold ‘X’ crossing out the name ‘Edwin.’ Located just above the buttocks, the original tattoo looked far more appealing than the cover-up. But we get it—the name had to be erased.
This cover-up only adds more stars, but overall, it’s a regrettable attempt. As they say, ‘X marks the spot.’
5. They Called It Bunny Love
If there’s one thing Pete Davidson excels at, it’s getting tattoos and covering them up. His turbulent relationship with Ariana Grande was perhaps his most ‘artistically challenging’ phase, with the ink needing multiple updates.
Davidson first got a ‘bunny ears’ tattoo behind his ear, inspired by the cover art of Grande’s album *Dangerous Woman*. But as their relationship neared its end, he had the bunny ears swapped for a heart. You might think this was a clear sign he was moving on, but he also had the letter ‘A’ tattooed next to the heart—presumably for Ariana, who was rumored to have a similar heart tattoo.
But let’s be real—the heart tattoo itself is the real issue. It looks off, more like something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon than a symbol of love. As for Pete and Ariana? That’s a wrap.
4. Hyundai: New Tattoos, New Beginnings
As we’ve seen, cover-up tattoos after a breakup are a risky business. But tattoos representing something we love might be safer, right? This anonymous person loved their Hyundai so much that they got the brand’s logo inked on their arm. While the original tattoo wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, anyone with a decent knowledge of cars could recognize the meaning behind it.
When the tattoo owner had enough, he decided to cover the original ink with something else. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Thanks to the awkward shape of the Hyundai logo, the cover-up turned into a strange blob that only the owner could likely recognize (we hope). We’re not sure what went down between the person and Hyundai, but whatever it was, it certainly didn’t seem to warrant such a poor cover-up.
3. Back Again: The Big Sean Tattoo
Jhene Aiko, an American musician with a distinctive voice, is even more famous for her on-and-off relationship with Big Sean. After they released their *Twenty88* album in 2016, Jhene got a tattoo of Big Sean’s face on her arm. But not long after, fans noticed she had covered it up with a massive dragon tattoo. It didn’t take long for people to discover the couple had broken up, and Jhene tweeted something cryptic (which was later deleted).
While the dragon cover-up was cool, Jhene and Big Sean later reconciled and even had a child together. We can only imagine how awkward it must feel for her. First, she was in love, then she wasn’t, and now she is again. Maybe next time, she’ll think twice before inking his face on her arm again.
2. Slim to Scum: Johnny Depp’s Tattoo Disaster
Johnny Depp received widespread support during his recent court case battle (which he won, by the way). However, his relationship with tattoos hasn’t always been smooth. Most famously, Depp had the words ‘Winona Forever’ inked on his arm, but he later had the word ‘Slim’ tattooed on his knuckles to represent his then-wife, Amber Heard.
Following their contentious divorce, Depp altered the tattoo from ‘Slim’ to ‘scum.’ Now, Depp has a lot of tattoos, many of which have needed cover-ups at some point. However, we highly doubt any of them will be as regrettable as the one with his ex-wife’s name.
The cover-up itself isn’t the worst, but we all know that if Johnny had the choice, he’d probably want that chapter of his life to vanish completely.
1. Nas vs. The Lion
Hip-hop stars Nas and Kelis were one of the genre’s most talked-about couples between 2002 and 2009. Her milkshake definitely brought him to the yard, and their bond was so strong that Nas had her name tattooed on his forearm. But after their 2005 wedding, things took a rocky turn. Nas faced accusations of infidelity in 2008, and both decided to take their personal lives out of the public eye.
Just before their first child was born in 2009, Kelis filed for divorce. As a result, Nas chose to modify his tattoo of her. Instead of altering the entire image, he simply swapped her head for a lion’s, keeping the rest of the design unchanged.
In the end, Nas ended up with a tattoo depicting a woman’s body, but with the head of a lion. Honestly, it resembles something out of American Horror Story. Perhaps he wanted a tattoo that reflected his regrets, as much as he regretted how their relationship ended.
