The lore behind Ariana Grande’s back tattoo is crazy, so here’s what it actually means

A photo of a tattoo on Ariana Grande’s back has gone viral on Twitter this week and everyone thinks it’s fake. But the ink is real, and here’s what the strange script actually means.

The tattoo is on the back of her left shoulder and says in four separate lines: “In case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night !” This is a really famous quote from the 1998 film The Truman Show, about a guy called Truman Burbank, played by Jim Carrey, who realises his entire life is a reality TV show. It’s a classic, and the line is Truman’s catchphrase to his neighbours.

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Ariana got the tattoo in June 2019 because she’s a huge Jim Carrey fan. Unexpected, I know. I bet that’s something you didn’t know about her! She’s actually spoken out about him being her idol many times, even calling him the “love of my life”. Plus, her first-ever AIM name was “jimcarreyfan42”. Who remembers AOL Instant Messenger?!

The singer got the matching ink with her best friend Courtney Chipolone, who has the same quote on the back of her shoulder, but Ariana got the text written upside down. So, the close-up in the viral tweet is actually of Chipolone, not Grande. That explains why the tattoo looks different on Ari’s shoulder and everyone thinks it’s fake.

In June 2019, the singer shared a picture of her bestie’s tattoo on her Instagram story and wrote: “I got the same sh*t but upside down 🖤 truman show.”

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Credit: Courtney Chipolone/Instagram

And Jim Carrey himself replied to the tattoo on Twitter, writing: “Wow @ArianaGrande…a tattoo? Ssss’nice! ;^}” Grande replied: “Mhmm a tattoo indeed my best friend got hers rightside up and mine is upside down …. love u always always always !”

Well, now you know Ariana is a huge Jim Carrey superfan. She finally got to work with him in 2020, making a guest appearance on his series Kidding, which she called the “most special experience of my life”. Then, her 2024 album eternal sunshine was inspired by his 2004 movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. How sweet!

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Featured image credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock and Courtney Chipolone/Instagram