Will Arnett Drops Brutal Take on People With Tattoos
The comedian shared the “controversial position” on a podcast hosted by his heavily tattooed friend.
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
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Will Arnett, 55, shared a hot take while appearing as a guest on fellow comedian Romesh Ranganathan’s podcast, The Romesh Show.
“I have a very controversial position on tattoos,” Arnett said before pausing to ask Ranganathan, 47, how many tattoos he has.
“I would say 20-ish,” the host answered.
Arnett continued, “There are a lot of exceptions to this rule, but I would say, on the balance…it is sometimes with some people there’s a proportionate relationship between how many tattoos you have and how little personality you have. And I find a lot of people who have a ton of tattoos often are super f----ing boring. Like truly boring people.”
Ranganathan nodded. “Yeah, it’s manufactured edge,” he said. Arnett agreed, “That’s right, that’s a great way of putting it.”
Still, despite the controversial opinion, Arnett reassured his buddy that the rule didn’t apply to him—but does it apply to his other famous friends?
“His BEST friends are Dax Shepard and Justin Theroux😂," wrote one commenter on the clip posted to Instagram. Shepard has a full tattoo sleeve, while Theroux is the proud owner of a back piece dedicated to his two rescue pit bulls.
Others wholeheartedly disagreed with the comedian’s stance. “It’s strange because I feel the exact opposite. Most people that have a lot of tattoos have a lot more colorful personalities. They’re usually not afraid to express themselves,” one wrote.
Romesh Ranganathan shows off his tattoo sleeve as he throws a dart during the World Darts Championship in London, England, on December 18, 2024.
James Fearn/Getty Images
In an op-ed published in The Guardian, Ranganathan himself admitted he felt “slightly embarrassed” about getting tattoos later in life.
“Tattoos are meant to be something you get in your 20s when you’re actually worried about your appearance,” he wrote. “Getting a sleeve at my age is a midlife crisis for the man who can’t afford a sports car.”
The British podcast host has a tattoo of the Albanian flag; portraits of Nas, Richard Pryor, and the Roots; the Transformers logo; and, as of five years ago, said he planned to get his youngest son’s name inked as well.
Members of the Millennial and Gen X generations are far more likely than Baby Boomers and Gen Zs to have tattoos.
Getty Images
A Statista survey found that 41% of Millennials, or people born between 1981 and 1996, have one or more tattoos. The next most inked-up generation is Generation X, or those born between 1965 and 1980, with 32% having one or more tattoos.
Gen Z ranks third, with only 23% of those born between 1997 and 2012 having at least one tattoo. Finally, the generation with the least ink is the Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, at only 13%. A significant portion of Gen Z is still underage, however, so it may catch up in a few short years.