How many tattoos does Miley Cyrus have? The meaning of each tattoo will surprise you
As it turns out, Miley Cyrus doesn’t even know how many tattoos she has!
During a December 2020 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the former Disney Channel star went head-to-head with a superfan to see who knows the Hannah Montana alum better. When Jimmy Kimmel asked how many tattoos the “Midnight Sky” songstress had, they were both stumped.
“The answer is 74,” Jimmy revealed. Miley replied, “Huh?”
The singer got her first ink back in 2010, and since then, she’s slowly accumulated them all over her body. While some are super meaningful (like the one honoring her pets who have died) others, Miley revealed, she got when she wasn’t “coherent.” A few of her tats are even matching ink designs with her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth — with whom she split in August 2019 — and ex-boyfriend Cody Simpson — with whom she split in August 2020.
Her first-ever tattoo were the works JUST BREATHE inked on her rib cage, a tribute to her late friend and two grandfathers.
“It reminds me not to take things for granted. I mean, breathing—that was something none of them could do, the most basic thing,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in January 2010. “And I put it near my heart, because that is where they will always be.”
When it comes to the pain of all her tattoos, it doesn’t bother Miley at all.
“It really doesn’t hurt if you’re thinking about the meaning,” she explained in the same magazine article. “I could never get a meaningless tattoo, but I think that if you’re doing something that’s important, that’s significant in your life, it takes some of the pain away.”
Years later, in December 2021, while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside Pete Davidson, Miley revealed that she and the Saturday Night Live star have matching tattoos based on a skit they did during a 2017 SNL episode.
“We made this SNL sketch where we were babies that were rapping: trap babies. One of the many brilliant ideas that I bring to the SNL table,” Pete joked. Miley chimed in, “At the end, our excuse for it all, you know, [SNL host] Larry David said, ‘What is going on?’ And we said, ‘We babies.’ And for some reason, we looked at each other and were like, ‘That’s a great tattoo.’”
Pete added, “I burned mine off and you still have yours.”
Wondering what all Miley’s tattoos mean? Scroll through our gallery to see pics of all her ink, what she’s said about them, their meanings and more.
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Miley Cyrus/ Twitter
‘Just Breathe’ on Her Ribs
Miley’s first ever tattoo was the words “Just Breathe” on her rib cage.
“It reminds me not to take things for granted. I mean, breathing — that was something none of them could do, the most basic thing,” she told the outlet. “And I put it near my heart, because that is where they will always be.”
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‘We Babies’ on Her Ankle
Miley got this matching tattoo with Pete Davidson in 2017.
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‘Love’ on Her Ear
“I have ‘Love’ right here to block out all the crap that everyone throws into your ears,” she told Access Hollywood in June 2010. “I don’t really care about it. [You’re] only supposed to hear the things coming from the people that genuinely love you.”
She also has the number ’92 inked on the back of her neck.
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Finger Tattoos
The “Wrecking Ball” songstress added a small heart tattoo to her finger in September 2010. Miley also has a small cross, a peace sign, the word “karma,” an equal sign, an evil eye, the word “bad,” a triangle and an alien, inked onto the inside of her ring and middle fingers.
In December 2019, she also got “freedom” tattooed on her hand and has since added 1961.
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A Dreamcatcher on Her Rib Cage
In February 2011, Miley had a dreamcatcher tattooed onto her rib cage.
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Wrist Tattoos
Miley has an anchor, the “Om” symbol, a compass, a trident and “Wükong.”
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Foot Tattoos
Miley and her ex Liam both got matching skull tattoos on their feet in August 2011. She also has “Rolling $tone” tattooed on the bottom of her feet along with both “mom” and “dad.”
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Arm Tattoos
Miley has a collection of tattoos on her arm, including “Love Never Dies.”
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Forearm Tattoos
The singer added a Roman numerals tat on the inside of her left arm in May 2012. There’s also an anatomical heart and a portrait of her grandma.
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Quote on Her Arm
The ink on Miley’s inner arm reads, “So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” The quote comes from former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt’s “Citizenship in a Republic” speech given in Paris in 1910.
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Arrows on Her Arm
Miley got a pair of crossed arrows inked onto the back of her right elbow in February 2013. Crossed arrows are the Native American symbol of friendship, but it’s unclear who the adorable tat is dedicated to!
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A Claw on Her Arm
Miley added this ink design in August 2013.
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Rib Tattoos
She got a tattoo of her late dog, Floyd, tattooed on her left rib cage.
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Quote on Her Arm
“My head was feeling scared, but my heart was feeling free,” she has tattooed on her arm.
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‘I’m proud of you, Yoko’ on Her Shoulder
She also added this tattoo to her shoulder a few weeks later! It says “I’m proud of you, Yoko,” and is a snippet from a handwritten note that Yoko Ono gave her!
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Various Arm Tattoos
She paid tribute to her dad by permanently inking his motorcycle on her shoulder. The former Disney star also added “Mama Tried” in December 2020 along with “Idolize Yourself.” Miley’s other arm tattoos include, “Love Yer Brain,” “Biewty,” a fish, a skeleton, a rose, a tooth, an avocado, “moo,” “Rock ‘N Roll” inside a heart, Johnny Cash’s signature, a cat, “Cattitude,” “cold blooded,” a sunflower, an emu, a smiley face, “Katzy,” a small jar of Vegemite, Jupiter, “beetle,” a puppy, Elvis and “Okie.”
