Sylvester Stallone Covered a Tattoo of His Wife With His Dog Days Before Their Divorce Became Public – Photos of the Ink

Sylvester Stallone's decades-long romance with Jennifer Flavin survived early breakups and eventually led to marriage and three daughters. Years later, one tattoo sparked questions about their relationship. Photos of the covered-up ink can be found at the end of the article.

Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin first became romantically involved in 1988, not long after his brief second marriage to Brigitte Nielsen had fallen apart.

The actor and the model met at a restaurant in Beverly Hills when she was 20 years old and he was experiencing a temporary setback with "Rambo III." However, their relationship did not follow a direct path from there.

Stallone later became involved with model Janice Dickinson, who said he was the father of her daughter. He subsequently ended his relationship with Flavin through a letter delivered by FedEx.

Stallone and Dickinson eventually separated, and DNA testing later determined that he was not the child's father. The actor then became engaged to actress Angie Everhart, but that relationship also ended, and he ultimately reunited with Flavin.

At the time, Stallone's representative pushed back against speculation that the tattoo reflected problems in the marriage.

This time, their reconciliation lasted. Stallone and Flavin married on May 17, 1997, at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Given the actor's reputation as a playboy, there had been doubts about how long the union would endure, but the couple went on to spend a quarter-century as husband and wife.

They also welcomed three daughters together: Sophia Stallone, Sistine Stallone, and Scarlet Stallone. By May 2022, Sophia was 25, Sistine was 24, and Scarlet was 20, and their parents had reached another major milestone by celebrating their silver wedding anniversary.

Only a few months later, however, attention shifted to a noticeable change on Stallone's right bicep. The "Rocky" star had previously displayed a large portrait of Flavin on his upper arm.

But in August 2022, the image was covered by a tattoo of Butkus, the bull mastiff associated with his "Rocky" movies. The alteration attracted additional attention as signs emerged that all might not be well between the longtime couple.

Flavin, who is 22 years younger than Stallone, had shared an Instagram photo in which she only embraced their three daughters. She had also stopped following her husband on the platform.

At the time, Stallone's representative pushed back against speculation that the tattoo reflected problems in the marriage. Instead, publicist Michelle Bega said the change resulted from an unsuccessful attempt to improve Flavin's portrait, claiming:

"Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife, Jennifer. However, the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable. As a result, he had to cover the original image with a tattoo of his dog from 'Rocky,' Butkus."

"Mr. Stallone loves his family. The Stallones are presently filming a reality show together which will debut on Paramount+," Bega added. Nevertheless, the timing drew attention.

Stallone, then 76, had shown the portrait of his wife in a photo on his Instagram page as recently as August 7, 2022. Nine days later, on August 16, tattoo artist Zach Perez posted an image of himself working on Stallone's upper arm.

Photos of the finished work revealed that Flavin's portrait had been replaced by an image of the bull mastiff. Perez also posted a picture of the tattoo but later removed it after commenters began questioning why Stallone had covered the portrait of his wife.

The finished piece prompted reactions of its own online, with several people criticizing both the appearance of the cover-up and the decision to have a partner's portrait tattooed in the first place.

One person commented, "Horrible cover up [sic]. He could have done better with it." Another typed, "Too bad you can still see the original tattoo coming thru [sic]..."

A third person questioned the finished work, writing, "Why is the coverup so bad tho [sic]??? He can clearly afford a better artist 🤣." Another shared, "That poor dog looks mutated and cursed 😅😭😂."

Beyond critiques of the artwork, the circumstances also prompted a broader observation from one person, who said, "Also a reminder to never get a spouse or significant other tattoo [sic]."

Within days, news about Stallone and Flavin's marriage provided new context for the attention surrounding the tattoo. On August 24, 2022, it became public that the couple was divorcing after 25 years of marriage.

Flavin had filed a petition "for dissolution of marriage and other relief" on August 19 in Palm Beach County, Florida. Stallone responded to the news in a statement, saying:

"I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues."

Flavin also issued a statement confirming her decision to end the marriage while reflecting on the decades she and Stallone had shared. "I'm sad to announce that after 25 years of marriage I have filed for divorce from my husband Sylvester Stallone," she said.

"While we will no longer be married, I will always cherish the more than 30-year relationship that we shared, and I know we are both committed to our beautiful daughters. I ask for privacy for our family as we amicably move forward," the former model continued.

From a romance that began in 1988 and weathered multiple separations before leading to a 1997 wedding, Stallone and Flavin had shared more than three decades of history by the time the divorce filing became public.

Days before that news emerged, one visible reminder of their marriage had already disappeared beneath an image of Butkus. Photos showing Sylvester Stallone's original tattoo and the subsequent cover-up can be seen below.

Jennifer Flavin and Sylvester Stallone

The Cover-Up Tattoo