Whatever Happened To Kat Von D?
Kat Von D quickly became a household name following her 2005 debut on TLC's tattoo reality show "Miami Ink." She was so popular
she even got her own spinoff, "LA Ink." The series ran for seven seasons, and although the show was canceled in 2011, fans have remained interested in Von D's personal life, her transformation, shady side, and various new endeavors. And while she's not in the spotlight as much as she used to be, the famed tattoo artist has a lot happening on both the personal and professional fronts.
First, she tied the knot with singer Rafael Reyes in an extreme goth wedding in June 2018. Then, they grew their family with the arrival of their son Leafar Von D Reyes that December. Motherhood, in turn, sparked several other major changes. In 2021, the young family moved to rural Indiana, and in 2022, the reality star told fans she was throwing out all of her occult literature because it no longer aligned with her beliefs. In October 2023, she was baptized, and that same month, she opened up about her long journey to cover up most of her tattoos with blackout work. After 17 sessions and 40 hours, she revealed on Instagram that her arms and a large portion of her abdomen were now solid black. "I had many tattoos that represented a part of my life that no longer aligns with who I am today," she explained. Here's everything Kat Von D has been up to since "LA Ink."
Kat Von D completely cut ties with her past
Kat Von D is not the person she was during the filming of "LA Ink." In addition to covering up much of her signature ink, she's also severed most ties with her past. Most notably, in October 2021, she announced on Instagram that she was closing her famed tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo, for good. Not just that, but she was leaving Los Angeles and all of California behind, selling her home, and making a permanent move to Indiana with her husband and son. "I didn't think it would make sense to keep it open if I wasn't present," she explained of the decision. "We don't plan on returning to LA very often." Indeed, the family had already settled in Vevay, Indiana, months earlier, buying a swanky $1,525,000 mansion in December 2020.
2020 was also the year that Von D cut another major project from her life. That January, she took to Instagram to share that she was parting ways with the popular makeup brand she had built. As she told followers, she was simply juggling too much, and Kat Von D Beauty had to go. "I've decided to sell my shares of the brand, turning it over to Kendo, my partners for the past 11 years," she wrote, noting the name would be changed to KvD Vegan Beauty. That surprising decision opened the door for Von D to focus on what she now cared about more — raising her son, designing her vegan shoe line, and recording her debut album.
Kat Von D is focused on a slew of new projects
Despite shuttering her successful tattoo studio and makeup line, Kat Von D has found plenty of other creative outlets to keep her busy. In October 2019, she launched a luxury vegan footwear line called Von D Shoes, which includes men's and women's styles made of environmentally friendly materials. Prices start around $150 and run up to nearly $400, but as Von D explains on the site, the brand prides itself on fighting fast fashion and working with artisans in Italy who hand-make each pair.
The former reality star is also embracing her musical side. In August 2021, she released her debut album called "Love Made Me Do It." As she told Billboard, it was an inevitable next step in her career. "I've been playing music longer than I've been tattooing," she mused. "I was classically trained at the piano from the age of 5, and still play the piano every day." The record was inspired by synth-wave and featured collaborations with numerous legends, including Dave Grohl and Linda Perry. Von D and her band (who lived together during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown to focus on their music) announced an extensive US and Europe tour in December 2021. However, that was scrapped in February 2022, with Von D writing on Instagram it was "due to unforeseeable reasons, much too personal to share publicly." That September, she also added author to her resume, releasing her first kids' book titled "Leafar and The Magical Treasure Chest."