Machine Gun Kelly is “not in a haze anymore” after one year of sobriety
"I continue to embrace that this journey is gonna be hard for me, but I accept it and forgive myself"
by Laura Molloy · NMEMachine Gun Kelly has said he’s “not in a haze anymore” after staying sober for one year.
Last month, MGK announced that he was one year “completely sober” and said he’d been to rehab for the first time in 2023. “I didn’t tell anybody outside of the [people] closest to me,” he explained.
Now, in a new interview with People, the rapper and singer (real name Colson Baker) has shared how looking at himself from an outsider’s perspective helped him to stay sober. “I had to zoom out and take a look at myself from a holistic perspective,” he told the magazine. “I find solace in knowing that I can, you know, punish myself today so that I can forgive myself tomorrow.”
Earlier this year, he opened up about how his 15-year-old daughter helped him to get sober, saying he felt he had to “break this generational curse for my kid”.
He told People that he can now appreciate his family on another level. “I have a daughter who I love with all of my heart and would die for. And I have a beautiful family and a beautiful group of friends and a beautiful life to live for. And I’m not in a haze anymore to not realise that.”
He added, “I was born on the 22nd. Twenty-two is a master number. What am I here to master? I had to ask myself that question. What were my generational curses and problems that were passed down on to me and to my father? Rest in peace.”
He also shared how partner Megan Fox had helped him on his journey to recovery. “Megan has for sure been extremely helpful in dealing with the kind of psychological withdrawals that come with getting off drugs,” he said. “I continue to embrace that this journey is gonna be hard for me, but I accept it and forgive myself.”
MGK previously revealed that he had abused alcohol, marijuana and pills, and that he met psychiatrists and therapists during his time in rehab, saying some “gave up on me”. “But I ended up falling into an awareness of what my condition is and have made peace with it,” he added. “It’s a constant tightrope walk.”
In the same interview, MGK opened up about the strained relationship between himself and his mother, who left the family when he was just nine years old. He has since reconciled with his mother, sharing a picture of the two of them side by side on Instagram in 2022.
The artist has also spoken about his relationship with his late father, who was tried for the murder of his own father, and the impact it’s had on his life.
In July, Machine Gun Kelly marked Casie’s 15th birthday by sharing a series of photographs on social media. “The world spins but when I look at you it stops,” he wrote. “Happy 15th princess.”
Back in 2022, the star detailed a near-suicide attempt in his documentary Life In Pink – an experience that he said eventually led to his sobriety from drugs.