Lifestyle Beauty & Style Machine Gun Kelly Seems to Joke About Changing His Stage Name to Just 'Machine' At GQ's Man of the Year event, the performer asked photographers, "Instead of 'Machine Gun Kelly,' can you hit me with just 'Machine' next time?" By Jack Irvin Jack Irvin Jack Irvin has over five years of experience working in digital journalism, and he’s worked at PEOPLE since 2022. Jack started in the industry with internships at Rolling Stone and Entertainment Tonight, and he worked as a freelance writer for publications including Bustle, MTV News, Shondaland, L’Officiel USA, Ladygunn, Flood and PopCrush before joining PEOPLE. In his current role, Jack covers daily music news and has interviewed both up-and-coming and established artists including Dolly Parton, Michelle Branch, Ashanti, Cyndi Lauper, Normani, Carly Rae Jepsen and Coco Jones. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 22, 2023 02:20PM EST Machine Gun Kelly in Los Angeles on Nov. 16, 2023. Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Is Machine Gun Kelly changing his stage name to just Machine? Probably not. While on the red carpet for the 2023 GQ Men Of The Year party at Bar Marmont in Los Angeles last week, MGK asked photographers to address him by a different version of his name — but it seems to be a joke. "Instead of 'Machine Gun Kelly,' can you hit me with just 'Machine' next time?" said the "My Ex's Best Friend" performer — real name Colson Baker — who shared the quote to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. Megan Fox and MGK Step Out for a Date Night in Black and White at GQ’s Men of the Year Party Machine Gun Kelly in Los Angeles on Nov. 16, 2023. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic After fans picked up on MGK's perceived name change, Entertainment Weekly reported on Tuesday that he'll remain Machine Gun Kelly. A rep for MGK did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The uncertainty around the pop-punker's stage name seems to stem from TikTok and YouTube videos by comedic social media duo Chad and JT, who filmed themselves seemingly attending an MGK concert last year and proposing he drop "Machine Gun" from his moniker — though it's unclear what exactly went down, as their videos are heavily edited. Holding up a sign that read "Change your name" in the clip, the comedians appeared to catch MGK's attention and ask him to take out "Machine Gun" as to not "glorify machine guns." According to other fan-filmed footage, the Grammy-nominated artist brushed off the comment, and his audience erupted in an "MGK" chant. Megan Fox Admits 'I Was Not a Peach' in Past Relationships as She Praises Machine Gun Kelly for His Support On Tuesday, the duo shared a TikTok video of the supposed concert exchange with MGK juxtaposed with his comments on the GQ party red carpet and asked fans in the caption, "Do you think our sign worked?" The "Papercuts" musician attended the GQ Men of the Year party with his fiancée Megan Fox — shortly after the release of her new poetry book, Pretty Boys Are Poisonous. While promoting the book on a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, Fox highlighted the support she received from her fiancé throughout her writing process. 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 juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly in New York City in September 2023. Raymond Hall/GC Images "I think it helps that he’s an artist himself and recognizes that he has this outlet where he gets to experience his catharsis through songwriting — where he gets to express his pain in that way," Fox explained. "As an actor, you don’t really have that, because I’m reading someone else’s dialogue. So I don’t really get to go to work and put my experiences and my pain into my art," Fox continued. "So he recognized that I needed an outlet for that, and when you love someone, you’re not gonna deny them their right to experience a relief from their suffering." "And I think that’s just what it is to care about someone and to want to see them heal," she added.