NEED TO KNOW
Machine Gun Kelly says he began doing water fasts when he got home from rehab in January, saying it put him in a “delirious state.”
The singer-rapper, 35, talked about his sporadic fasts on an Aug. 7 appearance on The New York Times’ Popcast, sharing that when he got out of rehab, he learned the world was talking about his breakup with fiancée Megan Fox. which the couple announced in December 2024.
XNY/Star Max/GC Images
“I came out, the world was very loud about me and my personal business,” MGK (née Colson Baker) told hosts Jon Caramonica and Joe Coscarelli. He decided to reset with a water fast.
It’s an “absolute cessation of food,” the National Library of Medicine explains, where a person drinks 2-3 liters of mineralized water a day. One study showed that it can reduce blood pressure and weight, but these benefits don’t appear to be permanent.
On the third day of a four-day water fast, the “Lonely Road” singer said the wildfires in California broke out “pretty close to the house.” By day four, MGK said he was at neighbor Michael B. Jordan’s house, looking out “and the fire is, like, right there.”
“My body’s already going through it. I’m pushing myself to a kind of delirious state. And I’m not really sure if … the house is going to burn or anything like that. I kind of just gather up some some letters and I grab — I don’t know. I think I grabbed, like, a Banksy piece and a Picasso piece.”
“Different than some people’s evacuation plan, but good for you,” Coscarelli quipped.
XNY/Star Max/GC Images
His diet comments come after another interview with HipHip-N-More, when MGK said, “I don’t really eat. I just do water a bunch.”
“I’ll eat, like, a couple times a week,” he said. He opts for “kimchi and sauerkraut,” adding that he cooks it in bone broth, and will drink celery juice and coconut water. The video prompted commenters to share their concerns for the performer, pointing out that his restrictive diet was not healthy.
An active 30-year-old man — and given his energetic performances, MGK qualifies as “active” — needs 3,000 calories a day to maintain his weight, per Cleveland Clinic. Kimchi and sauerkraut have less than 30 calories a serving.
Not eating enough can be put you at risk of osteoporosis, gallstones, gastrointestinal problems, and slow your metabolism, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
During anoth recent interview with ESPN’s Pat McAfee, MGK shared that he had a “50-hour migraine.” When McAfee asked, “So how’s that happening? Is that because you’re water fasting and don’t eat food, you think?”
He replied, “I actually do think that it’s catching up to me.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
