Mace tells Piers Morgan her tattoos helped her process trauma: "One of the ways that I have dealt with that trauma is by artwork, is by the tattooing"
In a September 1, 2026 interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Rep. Nancy Mace directly connects her public tattoo reveal to trauma recovery, says she was 'not hiding behind the trauma' of recent years, calls out the Pete Hegseth double standard, and confirms she has more than nine tattoos. She says leaving Congress means she can finally go sleeveless freely.
"One of the ways that I have dealt with that trauma, like a lot of other women, is by artwork, is by the tattooing. It's something that got me through some tough times."
Rep. Nancy Mace, Piers Morgan Uncensored, September 1, 2026
On September 1, 2026, Rep. Nancy Mace appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored, where Piers asked directly whether her tattoo reveal represented "a cry for help, a strident move for womanhood, or a slip down into rock chick superstardom."
Mace's answer was direct: she was trolling critics, she is not hiding from her own trauma, and she is done covering up tattoos once she leaves Congress in January.
"I'm not hiding behind the trauma"
Mace opened by naming the reaction she was after:
"No, it's just I happen to be trolling people that had, I guess, a very visceral reaction to seeing a woman with tattoos."
She then addressed the trauma framing on her own terms:
"And I'm not hiding behind the trauma that I've been through over the last couple of years. And one of the ways that I have dealt with that trauma, like a lot of other women, is by artwork, is by the tattooing. It's something that got me through some tough times. I love my ink."
The Hegseth double standard
Mace called out the inconsistency in how her critics treated her ink versus Pete Hegseth's:
"I kind of love trolling people. The same people that were defending Pete Hegseth and his tattoos were then attacking me. And some of the folks that were attacking me have their own tattoos."
She put the broader practice in historical context:
"To me, this has been around for thousands of years. I love it. Half the country, I think, is tattooed. Who really cares?"
"I can go sleeveless if I want"
Mace framed her public reveal as a direct consequence of leaving Congress:
"I'm getting ready to leave Congress, so I can go sleeveless if I want. I cover up when I'm in my government job. But it's been a very liberating experience for me. Getting them and showing them off and there'll be more."
She closed with an update on the count:
"And I'll tell you, Piers, I've got more than nine."
Watch the clip
The full interview is on YouTube. The tattoo and trauma exchange begins at 1:00:21:
Our 79-second captioned clip of the tattoo/trauma segment is also at /clips/mace-piers-tattoos-trauma.
Context
Mace has spoken publicly about her tattoos in several interviews since the photos of her inked arms surfaced. She told NewsNation's Cuomo in August 2026 that she had nine tattoos. She confirmed to TMZ on Capitol Hill on the same day as this Piers interview that the count is now "far more than nine" with unfinished half-sleeves. The Piers exchange is the most direct statement she has made connecting the tattoos to her personal trauma.
She mentioned covering them for her government job while acknowledging she will not need to do that after January, when her House term ends and she moves to the private sector. She lost the Republican gubernatorial primary in June 2026 and is not seeking re-election to her House seat.
Mace has been involved in multiple lawsuits and public disputes in recent years. She has not specified in public statements what trauma she is referring to beyond that general characterization, which she has offered herself.
Sources
- Piers Morgan Uncensored (primary): YouTube, "Piers Morgan Uncensored," September 1, 2026 (tattoo/trauma segment at 1:00:21)
- Related: TMZ: "Far more than nine" (same day, Capitol Hill)
- Related: NewsNation/Cuomo tattoo interview, August 2026
- See also: Tattoos hub for all related coverage
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