Justin Bieber’s tattoos have always been highlighted in the media, but a 2012 David Letterman interview saw the host get physically upset with the young singer because of one of Justin’s early tattoos. Having grown up in the limelight, the world has witnessed Justin Bieber transform from a young boy to a full-grown adult with a big love for tattoos.

Over the years, Justin Bieber has received over 70 tattoos, from small animals to giant portraits, including one of Jesus. When Bieber had just begun his tattoo journey, the “Baby” singer got a public lashing from late-night show host David Letterman, who felt Justin Bieber was too young to be going ‘crazy’ over tattooing his body. When Letterman interviewed the singer, in 2012, to promote Bieber’s Believe album, the host was visibly annoyed by the teenager.

The rose that scales up the right side of his neck earned some valued airtime.

David Letterman’s questions sounded off, and eventually, he snapped at Bieber several times because of Justin Bieber’s tattoos. Letterman was so impatient with the “Love Yourself” singer that he took action at one point and tried to remove a fresh tattoo Bieber received the day before. But did this move affect Justin Bieber’s love of tattoos? In the following, we look at what happened between David Letterman and Justin Bieber during and after that shocking moment from his 2012 interview. We will also look into how many tattoos Justin Bieber has received since then.

What Happened When David Letterman Noticed Justin Bieber’s New Tattoo In 2012 Interview?

Justin Bieber had an awkward interview on The Late Show with David Letterman in 2012 when Bieber was barely 18 years old. His appearance on the David Letterman Show was to promote his latest body of work at the time, the Believe album. But from David Letterman’s first question, the direction of the interview was clear. “What did you do to celebrate? Did you go crazy? Where did you guys go? Vegas?” Though Letterman did express his care for the star during the brief interview, he seemed to doubt the singer’s honesty.

“I worry about you. Do you have the best people around you?” Then Letterman changed his line of questioning after spotting Justin Bieber’s tattoo on his arm. “Explain this to me. Is that a new tattoo?” When Bieber said yes, David Letterman snapped, “Oh God, how many do you have?” Bieber replies, “Just a couple,” before Letterman adds, “Well, tell me that’s the last one.”

A nervous Bieber responded with, “It might be.” His response sent Letterman over the edge. “No, it is. I mean, honestly. How does that help how you look to have a tattoo?” The “Beauty and a Beat” singer explained his reason for getting “Believe” tattooed on his arm was to commemorate his new album. But before he could finish his sentence, Letterman jumped from his chair and physically grabbed Bieber’s arm to try and remove the tattoo while saying, “Come on, get it off of there!”

David Letterman’s interview with a female guest has been slammed over his intrusive questions about her past.David Letterman Apologized After Interview For Grabbing Justin Biebervia CBS

Justin Bieber reacted like anyone would in this situation and screamed, “Eh! Eh! Eh!” a few times before Letterman let him go and sat back in his seat. The Canadian native dismissed the host saying, “Grandpas!” But Letterman didn’t stop there and continued to criticize him for his tattoos, and how his parents couldn’t be happy with all the ink he was getting when they didn’t have tattoos. But Bieber clarified his mother, Pattie Mallette, doesn’t have any tattoos, while his father, Jeremy Bieber, has a few of his own. David Letterman added, “Don’t go crazy with it though.”

After the tense 2012 interview, David Letterman felt horrible about how he treated Justin Bieber. The host did something unusual and apologized to Justin Bieber for how he treated him earlier. It was right before the singer began performing. Letterman asked him, “Are you all right? Is your tattoo OK? Everyone said, well, it’s a brand-new tattoo, and I hurt your tattoo. I’m sorry I’ve never had a tattoo, so I don’t know, then other people said I was snappish.”

The award-winning singer appreciated David Letterman’s effort to smooth things over and put his hand over the host’s shoulder. “Everything’s great. It’s all good. You’re fine. Don’t worry,” Justin Bieber said. “You were not snappish. You were fine. I think I expect it.” Justin Bieber and David Letterman laughed off the awkward exchange before Bieber began a performance of his hit song, “Boyfriend.”

David Letterman has become known for making his guests uncomfortable, even making Lindsay Lohan cry with his questions during a 2013 interview.

How Many Tattoos Does Justin Bieber Have Now?

At 29 years old, Justin Bieber’s tattoos now cover a large portion of his body. The singer started getting tattoos at 16, with Justin Bieber’s first tattoo being a small seagull outline representing a book his family read. He told GQ, “I wanted to ensure it wasn’t visible. It’s basically about this seagull who wanted to be more than just a seagull.” Bieber was hesitant to let his fans know he was getting tattoos so young amid several controversies.

He explained he got his tattoo on his leg because he “didn’t have any big tattoos, so I didn’t want to put it somewhere and have it visible yet because the world didn’t know I was getting tattoos; I was only like 17.” Since then, Justin Bieber has continued getting tattoos and has more than 70 tattoos spread all over his body.

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In 2016, Justin Bieber revealed a tattoo of his ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, that he had to cover up. He told GQ, “This is my ex-girlfriend. So I kinda tried to cover her face up with some shading, but people still know.”

Several of Justin Bieber’s tattoos represent women he values. A tattoo of his mother’s eye above his Believe tattoo and another one on his collarbone of his mother’s birthday in Roman letters. Plus matching peach tattoos with his wife Hailey Bieber. He also has matching ‘Yeshua’ tattoos with his father written on their rib cages. ‘Yeshua’ is the Hebrew word for Jesus.