Chris Nunez is a tattoo artist of American nationality and he is the owner of Florida based Handcrafted Tattoo And Art Gallery. Chris Nunez is also a judge on the reality competition on the Spike TV network called Ink Master. In this show, tattoo artists compete with one another amongst various challenges while the judges make decisions about their artistic skills. Nunez was also among the group of tattoo artists who was featured on the television reality show of The Learning Channel called Miami Ink.
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Chris Nunez is of Cuban descent but he grew up in Florida, in the city of Miami. His parents died when Nunez was still young and the first tattoo he ever got, when he was 16 years old, included the names of his parents. Chris Nunez made his artistic debut as a graffiti artist. Chris used to paint all over his neighborhood as he loved the risk, the colors, the friendships, and all the excitement. His personal tag was “ink one”. While he was still alive, his father used to help him paint art on the walls by bringing out lights so that he and his friends could finish their artwork. Afterwards, he decided to become a tattoo artist, but even after opening a shop together with his friends, he continued to do the part time construction work. Throughout the next two decades in the tattoo industry, Chris's craft grew as he honed his artistic skills and mastered various styles, but the genre he is best known for remains the traditional Japanese Style of tattooing.
Ink Master is a reality television series that is produced by Spike TV. The show premiered in 2012. The show runs for a season, with contestants eliminated each week. The winner is awarded $100,000 and the Ink Master title. Nunez appeared on the show with fellow tattoo artist Oliver Peck, co-owner of Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas, Texas, and rock musician Dave Navarro, of Jane’s Addiction. According to press releases put out by the show, “Ink Master puts masters and apprentices together, and their close relationships during the competitions makes tempers fly and passions erupt. The toughest apprentices don’t care if they put their masters under the bus to win. The $100,000 prize keeps masters and apprentices clashing.”
Chris is owner of Handcrafted Tattoo And Art Gallery and a partner in another shop called Love Hate Tattoos located on Miami Beach. He is also a partner in the media corporation known as Ridgeline Empire and it operates the subsidiaries Ink Skins, and Upset Gentlemen. The partnership also has an animation studio that produced two animated series that were released in 2014: Hoodbrats and Toothians.
Chris Nunez is known for his tattoo skills and he likes romancing, dating and flirting and has been described in the past as the quintessential ladies man. He is now single and has never got married but is the father of two children, a daughter, Kali, and a son, Anthony.
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A sexual harassment case was filed against him by a female worker, Nicoletta Robinson, during production of the Ink master show. Robinson claims she was spoken to inappropriately, pinched and tickled and had offensive comments made in her presence. When she filed the complaint, she was allegedly terminated and now she wants to receive damage compensation for sexual harassment and unlawful retaliation. Spike TV and parent company Viacom have gotten dismissed of most of the claims made against them. The judge granted the dismissal with the opportunity for Robinson to amend her complaint with a renewed claim and more evidence. Many believe that the sexual harassment claims could be true because Nunez is known to flirt and to womanize and his actions could be misinterpreted or even be completely inappropriate. Some information says that his wife is called Carole-Anne Leonard but when they get married or if they are still together, it is not clear.
Chris’s sexual harassment lawsuit is not the only problem he has faced with the law. In September of 2014, according to TMZ, Chris Nunez was pulled over for running a stop sign and arrested for driving under the influence.
Chris Nunez’s net worth is estimated to be over five million dollars. Chis attended Chaminade Madonna Prep School and he travelled to go to the United States, Ecuador and Brazil when he was still a child. This is how he came to speak three languages fluently which are Portuguese, Spanish and English.
The show Miami Ink was about the personal lives of different tattoo artists who were working at Love Hate and the stories of the customers who came there. It aired for six seasons and is credited with creating three spin-off series. Miami Ink was most assuredly a popular show but during its initial run, though, Ami James and Chris Nunez apparently grew tired of playing by the network television playbook. Towards the end of the show's third season, the pair apparently wanted out. At the time, James even said "I never want to work with Discovery again." The only problem was that TLC owned the rights to the name "Miami Ink." So the pair opened up Love Hate Tattoo Studio right next door. The show ended shortly after. While Nunez is no longer a partner, the Love Hate brand continues to grow.
Chris Nunez can be found on Instagram and his Twitter account is @therealnunezc.
Chris has recently enriched his life through meditation and prayer and finds that this has given him a sense of peace that may have been missing in his younger years. Chris’s spiritual journey has also enhanced his love for tattooing. “It’s really about the soul that goes into the tattoo, it’s about the magic that the tattoo creates, it’s about what that tattoo can do for somebody…”
Last Modified: Aug 10, 2021
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