Joel Madden on the Return of “Ink Master”

Over the course of 13 seasons since its premiere in 2012, “Ink Master” has brought the tattoo parlor into your living room once a week. After the Season 13 live finale was canceled and no winner was announced, it seemed as though the hugely popular tattoo competition had succumbed to the epidemic.

It appeared hopeless for “Ink Master” fans when the Paramount Network’s direction changed, but with the launch of Paramount+, the program was brought back for Season 14.

With a new host and three fresh judges, “Ink Master” has taken advantage of its return to update the adored competition. Dave Navarro is being replaced with Good Charlotte’s lead singer Joel Madden, who is also the co-founder of the record labels Veeps and MDDN. Madden has experience with competition shows because he worked on the Australian version of “The Voice.” With “Ink Master,” he has the opportunity to indulge in a new passion of his—tattoos.

“I had always been a fan of the show, but over the pandemic, I binged the entire thing. Again,” Madden says. “When the opportunity came along to host the show I was really, really excited. Obviously, tattoos are something I’ve always been a fan of and I’m very enthusiastic about what I think and feel about tattoos.”

The way “Ink Master” exposes the tattoo industry is one of the things that draws viewers to the program. Sure, watching programs like “New York Ink” gave the general public a broad understanding of what it’s like to be a tattoo artist, but “Ink Master” dove deeply into the art of tattooing. Madden has a special connection to that feature of the program.

“All of my businesses are acclimated toward the sharing of information, helping people build their businesses and their lives,” Madden explains, “helping artists become more equipped for what it means to have a career in music. To get the opportunity to be a part of something I find so entertaining is one thing, but also the people watching the show learn a lot about tattoos. So when they go to get that first tattoo they’re better equipped to know what to look for and what to ask for. I think that the show is informationally great for people who are interested in tattoos.”

This season, Ami James, Ryan Ashley, and Nikko Hurtado—a brand-new and incredibly amazing trio of judges—will join Madden as the other newcomers. Thanks to his starring role in “Miami Ink,” Ami James was probably one of the first tattoo artists you ever saw on television, so the expert in traditional Japanese tattooing is a natural match. One of the most admired artists in the world, Nikko Hurtado has revolutionized what is possible in the field of color realism throughout his career. Any participant who was ousted from “Ink Master” during any of the previous 13 seasons may have claimed that the judges didn’t understand what it was like to participate, however that is no longer the case. Ryan

Ryan Ashley triumphed in one of the most spectacular finales of the program to take home the title of Ink Master at the end of Season 8.

Each of the three judges is a deserving judge in a vacuum because they are all legitimate and hold a great deal of industry authority. But when their forces come together, something truly unique results.

“There are three different schools up there and over the season you’ll come to respect all three schools,” Madden explains. “It’s really interesting. They don’t always agree, but that’s what makes it great, that’s what makes it real. And they all respect each other so much.”

The contestants this season are vying for the largest cash prize in “Ink Master” history, $250,000, so you can expect particularly fierce competition. There’s a lot to be excited about when Madden is added as the host and three new judges to the mix. But given that this is “Ink Master,” you should anticipate a twist.

Dave Navarro will make a comeback this season as the Master of Chaos. Navarro will occasionally appear and utter those dreaded words: “But that’s not all…”

“He comes in and drops bombs,” Madden chuckles. “People are like, ‘Holy shit, how are we going to do this?’ The level of competition has stepped up. This is the most competitive group we’ve seen and it’s the hardest the competition has ever been.”