David Spade turns 62 with a career that stretches far beyond the sarcastic one-liners and deadpan charm that made him a comedy staple. From his breakout years on SNL to cult favorites like Tommy Boy and Joe Dirt, he built a Hollywood legacy by turning self-deprecating humor into an unmistakable signature.
Yet one of the most personal stories written on that legacy isn’t found in a script—it’s etched in ink. Among Spade’s few tattoos, one carries an especially unusual Hollywood connection. Academy Award winner Sean Penn created the piece. It’s a story where friendship, comedy and an Oscar-winning actor intersect in a way few celebrity birthdays can claim.
Why did Sean Penn tattoo David Spade?
Sean Penn tattooed David Spade twice, and both tattoos came from moments that blended comedy with genuine friendship. The first happened in 1995 during a Saturday Night Live sketch, when Penn appeared as a guest and actually tattooed Spade’s left bicep on live television.
More than two decades later, in 2019, the Academy Award winner picked up the tattoo machine again to ink the letters “CF” on Spade’s right arm—a tribute to his late friend and longtime comedy partner, Chris Farley.
The original tattoo was never meant to become a work of art. It was part of the kind of unpredictable humor that defined Saturday Night Live in the 1990s.
Penn, who jokingly referred to himself as the owner of a tattoo shop called “Sean’s Okay Tattoos”, admitted years later that he hadn’t used a tattoo gun in nearly two decades before agreeing to tattoo Spade again.
The actor even joked that his eyesight had gotten worse, making the second attempt no less risky than the first. When Spade launched Lights Out with David Spade in 2019, he decided to recreate the unusual partnership.
This time, however, the tattoo carried a much deeper meaning. Instead of another comedic design, Penn tattooed the initials “CF” to honor Chris Farley, Spade’s closest friend and frequent co-star on Saturday Night Live, Tommy Boy and Black Sheep.
Although Penn has won two Academy Awards for Mystic River and Milk, his unlikely role as Spade’s tattoo artist has become one of Hollywood’s most unusual behind-the-scenes stories. What started as a live television gag eventually evolved into a permanent reminder of one of comedy’s most beloved friendships.
