Kat Von D is a Mexican-American tattoo artist, television personality, entrepreneur and recording artist.
She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLC reality television show LA Ink, which premiered in the United States on August 7, 2007, and ran for four seasons.
She is also known for being the former head of Kat Von D Beauty (renamed KVD Vegan Beauty).
In May 2021, Kat Von D released her first single, Exorcism, from her album Love Made Me Do It.
In addition to her career in tattooing and beauty, she has been involved in several controversies throughout her career.
In 2018, Kat Von D came out as anti-vaccine, which led to a boycott of her beauty brand forcing her to apologize and clarify that she is not an anti-vaxxer.
In 2022, she renounced her witchcraft practice and was baptized in the Christian faith.
Kat Von D early life
Kat Von D was born on March 8, 1982, in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico.
Her parents, Sylvia Galeano and René Drachenberg, were missionaries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church and were born in Argentina.
They are of German, Italian, Spanish and Indigenous descent.
Kat Von D has a sister named Karoline and a brother named Michael.
When she was four years old, her family moved to the Inland Empire in California, where she grew up in Colton.
Kat Von D was classically trained in piano beginning at age six.
She began tattooing friends at age 14 and dropped out of school at 16 to pursue a career as a tattoo artist.
Additionally, Kat Von D has starred in shows like Miami Ink and LA Ink.
In an essay for Popsugar in 2016, she explained that her family’s home in Mexico ‘didn’t have electricity or running water for a long time,’ and that she was bathed in a plastic bucket as a child.
She also described some of her earliest memories as ‘running around barefoot on the packed dirt,’ which served as her home’s floor.
Kat Von D has faced major backlash throughout her career and has feuded with internet stars.
Kat Von D husband
Kat Von D’s husband is Rafael Reyes.
Reyes is the frontman and poet behind Prayers, a rock band.
He and Kat Von D got married in February 2018 in Beverly Hills.
They had a large wedding celebration in June of the same year after announcing that Kat Von D was expecting.
The gothic-themed nuptials were based on en vida y en muerte which translates to in life and death, honoring Reyes’ Mexican heritage.
Reyes and Kat Von D welcomed their son, Leafar Von D Reyes, in November 2018.
Reyes has had some controversies in the past, including accusations of anti-Semitism.
Kat Von D career
Tattoo artist
Von D started tattooing at 16 and worked at a professional tattoo shop called Sin City Tattoo.
She became widely known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLC reality television show LA Ink, which premiered in the United States on August 7, 2007 and ran for four seasons.
Beauty industry
In 2008, Von D entered the beauty industry as part of a deal with Sephora.
She launched her own makeup line, Kat Von D, which has since gained the largest following on social media of any beauty brand.
Music
In May 2021, Kat Von D released her first single, Exorcism, from her album Love Made Me Do It.
Entrepreneurship
Kat Von D opened the art gallery and boutique Wonderland Gallery in the space next door to High Voltage Tattoo in 2010.
She also launched the clothing lines KVD Los Angeles and Kat Von D Los Angeles in the US and Canada in fall 2011, with the latter expanding internationally the following year.
Throughout her career, Kat Von D has faced major backlash and controversy, including feuds with internet stars and criticism for her anti-vaccine stance.
She has also been open about her personal struggles, including running away from home as a teenager and dealing with addiction.
Despite these challenges, Kat Von D has continued to pursue her passions and expand her career.
