• Tattoo artist Kat Von D spoke with the Los Angeles Times about her vegan shoe line in a new interview.
  • She also discussed her controversial Instagram post from June 2018, in which she stated that she wouldn’t vaccinate her child.
  • According to Von D, she is not an anti-vaxxer “at all,” but was instead “completely uninformed” at the time.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Kat Von D rose to fame as a television star, tattoo artist, and makeup mogul. In 2018, however, she also became known to the world as an anti-vaxxer.

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, the former beauty-brand owner said the “anti-vaxxer” title isn’t accurate. According to Von D, she was “uninformed” about the issue in June 2018, when she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post that she wouldn’t vaccinate her child, who was not yet born at the time.

She also spoke about the backlash that ensued as a result of her comment, and the real reason she stepped away from her namesake cosmetics line.

Kat Von D told the Los Angeles Times that she was ‘completely uninformed’ about vaccines when she was pregnant in 2018

According to the Los Angeles Times’ Adam Tschorn, Von D had tears in her eyes and a tremble in her voice while speaking about her vaccine controversy.

"When it comes to the vaccine issue, I was six months pregnant at the time, and I was still trying to figure out my birthing plan to have my son," Von D told the Los Angeles Times. "And, at the time, I made a completely thoughtless post on my Instagram on whether or not I would vaccinate my son. And, because of it, people think I'm something that I'm not."

"But the truth is, I'm not an anti-vaxxer at all," she continued. "I just made a mistake, and I was completely uninformed. It was stupid, and I really shouldn't have opened my big mouth on the subject."

Back in 2018, Von D said on Instagram that she planned on raising 'a vegan child, without vaccinations'

In her now-deleted Instagram post, Von D wrote:

"If you don't know what it's like have people around you think you are ridiculous, try being openly vegan. And, if you don't know what it's like to have the entire world openly criticize, judge, throw uninformed opinions, and curse you - try being an openly pregnant vegan on Instagram, having a natural, drug-free home birth in water with a midwife and doula, who has the intention of raising a vegan child, without vaccinations."

At the time, some people became so enraged by her comment that they chose to boycott her former beauty brand.

The tattoo artist also said she continues to receive backlash in response to her vaccine comment, which has since been deleted

The ongoing criticism, Von D told the Los Angeles Times, had nothing to do with her departure from her namesake beauty brand. Instead, she said she was "deep in the trenches with lawyer stuff a year prior" to the scandal.

"[Kat Von D Beauty] wasn't something I could just pass on, just collecting a paycheck [for] signing off on things," she told the publication. "I'm so painfully involved in everything and I do tend to micromanage - I'm sure Kendo can vouch for that - but that's part of what made the brand beautiful."

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Representatives for Kat Von D did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.