This is the best Snapchat I will ever receive pic.twitter.com/wSlwYW9S4B
— Sophie Kleeman (@sophiekleeman) April 9, 2017
There's Law & Order: SVU fans, and then there's this Law & Order: SVU superfan.
The internet recently had a field day when a photo of a man repping an "Executive Producer Dick Wolf" tattoo on his lower back made it to Twitter, and you better believe it only took two days for his voice to be heard.
Sitting down for a Q&A with Jezebel, Bernard Johnson finally answered the question on everyone's minds: But, WHY?!
In his own words (and no surprise here), "Obviously I'm obsessed with Law & Order: SVU. Obsessed. I watch it every single day of my life," Johnson, 29, shared, later adding, "[I've watched it for] as long as I can remember. My parents watched it, my grandparents watched it. I would bond with them and watch it, and I used to love it as a kid. I love it even more as an adult."
#LawAndOrderSVU #dickwolf @Mariska pic.twitter.com/YLutvwixVT
— Bernard Johnson (@314bernard) January 14, 2017
So besides his obvious passion for the long-running crime series, what led him to finally commit to a permanent tribute to the show's creator? Bernard explained that it was a combination of his love of tramp stamps and a meeting with his tattoo artist that set the ball into motion.
"We were talking about Law & Order and Mariska Hargitay and everything, and I was like, man, 'I would love to get a Law & Order tramp stamp.' And then he thought of the executive producer thing, and I was like, 'That is so perfect. I want that right now.' And the rest is history," he shared.
And speaking of Ms. Hargitay, Bernard is a really, really huge fan. "The day I meet Mariska Hargitay is the day I can just die peacefully," he admitted. "She's my favorite character, she's my favorite everything. I live for her." Johnson told the outlet he's even working on his next tattoo in her honor, which he said will be a massive portrait of the actress on his back.
As for his loved one's thoughts on the admittedly over-the-top dedication, he added, "My family loves it. As soon as I got it, they thought it was hilarious. My friends love it, it's such a party trick—whenever I take off my shirt and I have that there."
Bernard also explained that despite its inherent ability to make people laugh, this tattoo's meaning is more than just skin deep.
"I feel like tons of people love Law & Order: SVU and they just don't really talk about it as much as they should," he said. "It's a controversial show—it [has] sex abuse, crimes, but when you get down to it, it's about the characters and about the stories and showing that a strong woman can be empowered. That's what I value most about it, because Mariska Hargitay reminds me a lot of my mother, [whom] I lost when I was 19. I just get it. I love Mariska so much."
Alright Mariska, give Bernard the shout out he deserves!