Rep. Nancy Mace, 47, debuted her tattooed arms on her new YouTube show “Get Maced” over the weekend, going sleeveless in public for the first time in months.
The outgoing South Carolina Republican revealed nine tattoos she had kept covered since getting them earlier this year, using the launch of her online program to show them off. Mace had previously disclosed in February that she got the ink to cope with personal and professional turmoil, saying the pain provided something she needed to feel.
Mace, who lost her GOP primary bid for South Carolina governor on June 9, took to social media over the weekend to promote the new show. The program appears designed as a platform where she will address news of the day, marking a pivot to media after her political setback. She had kept the tattoos almost entirely hidden from public view until this debut.
In February, Mace revealed she got the tattoos in rapid succession following a cascade of difficult events. The ink marked the departure of staffers from her congressional office who had spoken negatively about her to the press, as well as the end of her engagement to fiancé Patrick Bryant. She cited these among other painful experiences that drove her to the tattoo parlor.
Mace wrote on social media at the time that the tattoos gave her “the pain that I need to feel.”
The “Get Maced” launch comes as Mace, 47, navigates the end of her congressional career. She was first elected to represent South Carolina’s 1st District in 2020, becoming the first Republican woman from the state to serve in Congress. She won reelection in 2022 and again in 2024, but chose to run for governor this cycle rather than seek another House term.
Her political trajectory has been marked by dramatic shifts. Mace initially condemned former President Donald Trump following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, but later became one of his vocal allies. Trump endorsed her reelection bid in 2024 despite having called her “crazy and terrible” just two years prior. She also joined seven hard-right members in voting to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023.
Mace’s personal life has drawn nearly as much attention as her politics. She was previously married twice and has two children, Joshua and Ellison. Her engagement to Bryant in 2022 ended before the wedding, adding to the personal difficulties she referenced when explaining her tattoo decisions.
The former congresswoman has long cultivated an image as an unconventional Republican willing to break with party orthodoxy. She called for moderation on abortion and marijuana while maintaining conservative credentials on fiscal issues. She also made history in 1999 as the first woman to graduate from The Citadel’s Corps of Cadets program.
In the viral moment that preceded her tattoo reveal, Mace had maintained a carefully managed public image during her gubernatorial campaign, typically appearing in professional attire that concealed her arms. Her primary loss to Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and subsequent decision not to pursue a write-in campaign effectively ended her elected political career for the foreseeable future. The rapid succession of nine tattoos in February represented a private coping mechanism that she has now chosen to make public through her new media venture.
The “Get Maced” show represents Mace’s attempt to remain in the public conversation after leaving electoral politics. By revealing her tattoos as part of the launch, she appears to be embracing a more unfiltered persona than her campaign-trail presentation allowed. The program’s title plays on her last name and suggests a confrontational approach to political commentary.
Mace has not announced whether she will pursue another political office or focus entirely on media. Her campaign website remains active but has not been updated since the primary defeat.
Mace’s next “Get Maced” episode has not been scheduled, though her social media suggests she will continue producing content from South Carolina.