15 Celebrities You Didn’t Realize Have Tattoos

Who comes to mind when you think of celebrities covered in tattoos? Maybe you picture Kat Van D, her bright red lip, and stars on her forehead. Or maybe it’s The Rock and his tribal sleeve that stretches across half of his chest? There are certain big names we know to be into body art, but what if I told there are 15 celebrities who are inked, but have managed to keep it on the down-low?

Why would someone choose to keep their tattoos private? Some actors and models may feel like less body art is part of the gig, especially if they want to play certain types of characters or be considered for certain gigs. Others may have opted for a tattoo that has special meaning, something so significant they’d rather not have it on display every time the paparazzi is in their neighborhood.

Whatever their reason, celebrities certainly deserve to keep certain parts of their life private if they’d like to.

These celebrities have subtle or hidden tattoos, but have chosen to share them with the world. A few revealed their tattoos in interviews, others wore revealing clothing to show them off, and some took to Instagram to share them for the first time. Here are the celebrities you didn’t realize are totally inked.

1. Bella Hadid

As a model, it makes sense that Bella Hadid needs to keep her tattoos subtle.

She has two tattoos and both are very, very small. In 2017, a tiny set of wings were captured by her tattoo artist, Jon Boy Tattoo, and posted to Instagram. They’re located on her ankle. Later that year, he shared another mini piece of art he tatted on the model. Occasionally, when it isn’t edited out of the shots, you can catch sight of a single rose, about the size of a dime, on the back of her arm.

2. Penelope Cruz

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The Oscar-winning actress opted for subtle tattoos, have you spotted them on the red carpet?

The first of Penelope Cruz’s tattoos is on her ankle and it is a bit of a mystery. The numbers 883 has yet to be explained by Cruz, although she says that eight and three are her lucky numbers. She also has a small sunburst on the inside of her wrist. In 2010, she made a less subtle choice and added a third tattoo to her small collection — she had a crucifix added to the top of her hand.

3. Jennifer Aniston

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The Friends actress waited until 2011 to get her very first tattoo and the meaning behind it is so special.

In April of 2011, Aniston said goodbye to her 15-year-old Welsh corgi-mix. He was a well-loved dog and even spent a lot of time on set with the actress. In June of the same year, she stepped out with her first tattoo, the name Norman on her foot. Most of the time, it is covered by her shoes. It was done in honor of her late pet and I think it is a really sweet way to keep a lost pet close even after they have passed.

4. Emma Stone

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After her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, she went on to beat the disease.

Wanting to honor her mom and her fight, she decided to get a tattoo in her honor. According to BBC, she wrote a letter to Paul McCartney and explained to the musician that Blackbird is her mom’s favorite song. She asked if he could do her a favor and design a tattoo for her. Now, Emma Stone has two, small bird feet inked on the inside of her wrist.

5. Princess Sofia of Sweden

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A tattoo might seem like an unlikely choice for a princess, but Sofia also has a controversial past.

Sofia has both a sunburst between her shoulder blades and a butterfly on her rib cage. She had these tattoos before she married Prince Carl Philip. She has faced some criticism for other choices in her past, including her participation in a reality show called Paradise Hotel and a topless photoshoot she posed for the men’s magazine Slitz.

6. Zoe Saldana

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The Guardians of the Galaxy actress confessed that she has intentionally had tattoos placed out of sight.

In a 2014 interview with David Letterman, she told him she has 10 tattoos. All of them are small and were intentionally placed where she could easily cover them up. She even joked she is running out of private places to hide them. For example, she has the word heal written in Hebrew under one of her breasts. She also has a tattoo of her husband’s face on her rib cage, which seems appropriate considering he has a tattoo of her face on his forearm.

7. Reese Witherspoon

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When Reese first made an appearance with her tattoo, her fans were surprised.

In 2011, she was spotted on the beach with a new tattoo. On her hip, she has a star and two birds. Apparently, this tattoo doesn’t fit with her reputation. Us Weekly called it “huge” and even made a joke about her starring in L.A. Ink. She got the star tattoo first and then added the birds a couple of years later and her fans don’t feel it fits with her good-girl image.

8. Scarlett Johansson

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Unless the Avengers actress wears a low-back dress, it is easy to forget that she has tattoos.

The actress’ most prominent tattoo covers most of her back and it was on full display at the Avengers: End Game premier.

It’s a floral tattoo that begins just below her neck and appears to stretch all the way down her back. Next to the flowers, there is a lamb. These aren’t her only tattoos, either, she actually has eight total. Included in this bunch, a tattoo she got alongside her Avengers castmates to commemorate their time together on the movies.

9. Lauren Conrad

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The reality television star repeated the mistake of so many before her when she had a “J” inked on her hip.

According to Tattoo Johnny, Lauren had the letter J on her hip when she was in a relationship with fellow  Laguna Beach star, Jason Wahler. Unfortunately for her, the relationship ended badly and she was left with a permanent reminder. Since then, she had the tattoo changed to an “L.” Learn from her mistake and think twice before letting romance determine your ink choices.

10. Ben Affleck

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Although his tattoos actually aren’t a secret, he’s put a lot of effort into covering them up.

Did you know that Ben Affleck once lied about his tattoos? In 2016, he was spotted with a massive tattoo of a phoenix that covers his entire back. Strangely, when a picture of it first went public, he said it was fake and that he got it for a movie. Makes sense, right? Except, in 2019 it was confirmed that the tattoo was very much real and he’s never really come clean about why he tried to hard to keep it private.

11. Hailey Baldwin

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You’ve probably seen a couple of her tattoos, but this model has way more than you’d expect.

Recently married to Justin Bieber, Hailey Baldwin got her nineteenth tattoo when she and the Biebs got matching ink. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Bieber has nearly twenty tattoos, but Hailey hides them so well. She apparently has several tiny tattoos, including roman numerals of her parent’s wedding day on her wrist and a heart on the collarbone.

12. Julia Roberts

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Even though she keeps them hidden, Julia Roberts has been pretty open about her tattoos.

All of Julia’s tattoos are located on her lower back. She has three for her three children, which are the names. In 2002, she also got her husband’s initials inked in the same place. In an interview for Ellen, she joked that she was being brave because she actually got the tattoo before they were married and had officially made a commitment to each other. They’re still together over 15 years later!

13. Kendall Jenner

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For the reality television star, taking the leap and getting inked began with a very subtle tattoo.

According to Elle UK the star has a tiny white dot on the inside of one of her fingers. This was her very first tattoo. Like many of her friends, she turned to Jon Boy Tattoo for her induction into the club of inked celebrities. Since then, she has added more tiny tattoos, including a heart that matches Hailey Baldwin’s. There is one tattoo she regrets — she had “miaow” tattooed inside her lip one night after having too much to drink.

14. Zac Efron

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You only live once, so maybe avoid permanently inking a trendy catchphrase on your body.

Do you remember when everyone was saying YOLO? Zac Efron most definitely does because he had the YOLO tattooed on his hand back in 2011. I regret this decision for him and it appears he might not be super happy with it either since it appears he had the tattoo removed. According to GOAT it has been missing from photographs since 2014.

15. Ryan Gosling

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Although the actor is incredibly private, he has shared a bit about his tattoos.

According to a W interview for Blue Valentine, Ryan Gosling has very interesting ink. He actually gave himself one of his tattoos because he wanted it to look bad. He said he couldn’t find an artist who was willing to do a bad job on purpose. Gosling has five tattoos in total, including a picture from the book The Giving Tree and a barcode he tattoed on his own wrist.

Do you have any tattoos? Do you keep them covered or were they placed where the whole world can see them?