Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro is absent from Ink Master Season 16 on Paramount+ despite being one of the reality series' most iconic faces, leaving some questioning the reasons for his exit.
Navarro boarded Ink Master as a host and judge for the first 13 seasons before stepping back to the role of "Master of Chaos" for Season 14.
This new role saw him pass hosting duties to singer Joel Madden and instead twists and game-changing bombs with each episode as "Master of Chaos."
Why Isn't Dave Navarro on Ink Master Season 16?
Despite becoming the "Master of Chaos" for Season 14 after stepping back from hosting and judging duties, Navarro exited Ink Master altogether after that season and has been absent from the tattooing reality series since.
But why did Dave Navarro leave Ink Master?
In a statement on social media (via Blabbermouth), the Jane's Addiction guitarist confirmed he would sit out the band's fall 2022 tour "due to [his] continued battle with long COVID that [he had] been dealing with since last December:"
"To all of the JANE'S ADDICTION fans attending the JANE'S/ SMASHING PUMPKINS 'Spirits On Fire' tour, I am sorry to have to say that I will not be attending due to my continued battle with long COVID that I have been dealing with since last December. I had hoped for a full recovery by October but I am still very fatigued and will not be able to join this leg.Though I am saddened to not make this tour I am focussed on making a full recovery and re-joining the guys when I am able.
As Ink Master Season 14 debuted in September 2022 after a two-year break between seasons, Navarro's struggles with long COVID likely explain why he stepped back to his "Master of Chaos" role.
During an interview with Rolling Stone in August 2024, Navarro offered further insight on his step back from Ink Master, and it appears the 2022 death of his NHC bandmate Taylor Hawkins may have been a factor.
When asked if his grief over Hawkins' death left him emotionally unable to perform, Navarro stated, "There is some truth to that" before explaining how it "affected every area of [his] life:"
"There is some truth to that. It’s not why I didn’t do the tour, but once we lost Taylor, I didn’t pick up a guitar for a very long time. It was a very long time because that was one of the more painful losses in my life, for sure... So I don’t know if I’m dispelling any rumors, but the truth is the truth, and it’s affected every area of my life. All you have to do is call my parents. It’s pretty simple. I could give you a list of 10 doctors that I’ve seen."
The Ink Master veteran noted how it was "really important for [him]" during his period of grief "just to stay away from social media:"
"Yeah, one of the things that was really important for me, during that time, was just to stay away from social media. I had to focus on my life. I had to focus on getting better, and flipping through pages of people living their lives, out in the world, really is not the greatest thing for you psychologically when you’re going through something like that."
Asked specifically if he will return to Ink Master, Navarro stated his "time there is done" before noting how his time on the reality series "overshadowed that [he] was a musician" first and foremost:
"No. I think my time there is done. I mean, that was fun to do for many, many years, but I also think that it kind of just overshadowed that I was a musician. My number one love is music, and art, and playing. And that was a bigger platform than the band had. And so I’ll get stopped in the airport, 'Hey, you’re the Ink Master guy,' and like, 'Yeah … Yeah, I’m the guy who stood there and read cards, that told me what to say.'"
Navarro even said he does not "know if TV is in the cards for [him] again," despite the fun he had and the friends he made along the way:
"I don’t know if TV is in the cards for me again, although I did have fun and made some really great friends. I’m still friends with the whole cast of all of that, and certainly had great times. But at this stage in my life, I’d like to really focus on my visual art and my musical art, and I find that to be more satisfying."
[ Ink Master Season 16 Cast: Contestants & Judges (Photos) ]
The first three episodes of Ink Master Season 16 are streaming now on Paramount+ with new installments debuting every Wednesday.
