In 2008, TMZ reported that Kat Von D allegedly wrote an anti-Semitic autograph to her "Miami Ink" costar Ami James. There were no witnesses to the message being written, according to the publication, though fellow costar Chris Garver told TMZ that Von D handed him the photo. TLC — the network that hosted Von D's reality show — investigated the matter at the time, and Von D called the autograph a "forgery," according to TMZ.
At the time, TLC told TMZ that Von D "vehemently denied authoring the text" and that a "full investigation was immediately conducted." It determined that "insufficient evidence existed to conclude that she had" written the autograph, and "no disciplinary action was taken," as TLC told the publication in 2008. Representatives for the network did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Her brand, on the other hand, released a pink lipstick called "Selektion" — a German word for selection used by Nazis — in 2015, and Von D compared animal slaughter to the Holocaust in a 2017 Facebook post, much to the dismay of many viewers.
The TMZ article and similar examples were widely recirculated in 2019, as some people argued that criticism against Von D's stance on vaccinations was hypocritical when the same was not shared in response to claims of her being anti-Semitic.
In response, Von D filmed a YouTube video in March of that year titled "I am NOT a nazi. I am NOT anti-vaxx."
She said in the 11-minute video that an unnamed "Miami Ink" costar felt "threatened" by her popularity and strong women while she was still on the show. Von D said that at the time, this costar sabotaged her tattoo equipment, sent her inappropriate photos, touched her without her consent, and later used the anti-Semitic autograph, which Von D said was forged, in the hopes of canceling her spin-off show.
As Remezcla previously reported, many viewers took issue with the video, as Von D did not mention key instances of alleged anti-Semitism — like when her former boyfriend dressed up as a Nazi while they were dating, and the swastika tattoo her husband has (which he says is not German or "political") on his neck.