Hold up, was Ed Sheeran's lion tattoo a fake?

Two weeks ago the singer showed off a massive lion across his chest, that, at the time, was only partially finished. Ed supposedly got the ink to commeorate last month’s sold-out trio of shows of London’s Wembley Stadium.

But as of this morning, the regal lion tattoo had mysteriously disappeared with Ed saying he was "only joking about the lion."

But was he really? According to some fans, and myself, it seems like Ed might be joking with us on this one and that his lion tattoo may still be intact. Let's look at the evidence.

The Beard

Ed's beard was not that long a few days ago when he posted some pictures with his friends. Some are thinking that either he asked someone else to pose for him or he took this picture long before the tattoo was even done.

His Upcoming TV Role

Ed has landed a recurring role on the FX drama "The Bastard Executioner," and is set to play of Sir Cormac, who is “an ambitious and deadly protégé of a high-ranking church elder.” This TV show, set in medieval times, might require Ed to be tattoo-free, so this shot may just be the magic of make-up.

And as Ed told EW, "When I walked into makeup they were like, we are going to have to cut your fringe and give you a bowl haircut, and I was like, 'Ah that’s not happening.'" So they wanted him to cut his hair, which he wouldn't do. Maybe he relented and let them cover up his fresh lion tat? We'll find out (hopefully) when the show debuts September 15. Or, from the looks of his outfit, maybe we won't actually get to see what's buried under all those robes.

He Got Defensive

If Ed's tattoo wasn't real why did he feel the need to defend it? He spoke out about the tattoo "kerfuffle" saying that it's not his first weird tattoo, and it won't be his last.

Tattoo Artist Speaks Out

Kevin Paul, who has worked with Ed on 90% of his tattoos including the lion, personally spoke to us about the chest ink saying that “we’ve got a lot more to go. I mean, his chest is gonna be completely full. [It will] connect arm to arm. It’ll go right across his shoulders.”

So, yeah. We're not buying it, Ed. You've got that lion tat for life, and we're pumped for you. Just own it!

UPDATE: Looks like we were right.