Machine Gun Kelly and Corey Taylor
Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via GI; Scott Dudelson/GIMake no mistake: Machine Gun Kelly and Corey Taylor do not like each other.
For more than a year now, there’s been no love lost between the pop-punk singer and the Slipknot frontman, with barbs, accusations and subtle digs being thrown in the press, on social media and during live shows.
The various stages of the feud have involved comfortable footwear, Slipknot’s famous masks and even talk of a Britney Spears cover (sarcastically, of course). With so many insults and insinuations flying back and forth, it can be hard to keep up on the latest developments of the rockers’ well-publicized feud.
So Billboard has rounded up a detailed timeline of where, when and how things turned sour between Kelly and Taylor as they went from would-be collaborators to sworn enemies. Check out the complete timeline below.
December 2020 – MGK slams the state of rock on Rock This With Allison Hagendorf interview
During a December 2020 interview on Rock This With Allison Hagendorf, Kelly went in on what he viewed as lazy flaws in many of his fellow rock artists, giving an impassioned diatribe that criticized everything from their general attitudes to their choice in footwear.
“I’ve gotta see some ‘f— you.’ I have to,” he said on the Spotify original podcast. “I want some attitude, dude. Like this is what I f—ing hate, this is what I will tell you. I did Warped Tour and these motherf—ers would wear comfortable shoes onstage every day. F— your f—ing Nike, New Balance comfy shoes because it makes you feel comfortable. Put on some Doc Martens, you f—ing f—! Put on some f—ing Chucks; put on some Vans. Like, it’s not about you! It’s about the show. You don’t look cool, man! I f—ing hate your feet, I hate your shoes. … You’re comfortable. Rock and roll’s not comfortable — it’s uncomfortable. It’s a metaphor. Your shoes are a metaphor. F— you.”
December 2020 – MGK doubles down on Twitter
Kelly’s comments immediately caused a stir on social media, but he didn’t back down from his opinion. Instead, he issued a sarcastic apology on Twitter, writing, “To the bands mad i said they wear ‘comfy shoes’ – i’m very sorry that i can get you this upset just by talking about your little pointy new balances. i wear pink so like…what do i know anyway?”
February 2021 – Without naming names, Corey Taylor seemingly slams MGK in an interview
Taylor added to the conversation a couple of months later, slyly questioning in response to the Rock This interview whether Kelly had the right to an opinion regarding the state of rock whatsoever, given he’d only recently joined the fray.
“I hate all new rock for the most part. I [hate] the artists who failed in one genre and decided to go rock and I think he knows who he is,” he said, seeming to call out Kelly’s pivot from rap to pop-punk (with 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall) in a lengthy rant during an appearance on Cutter’s Rockcast.
September 2021 – MGK lashes out during Riot Fest set
That fall, Kelly headlined Day 3 of Chicago’s Riot Fest, playing at the same time as Slipknot rocked a second stage. In between performing songs like “Kiss Kiss” and “All I Know” and covering the likes of Paramore (“Misery Business”) and Iann Dior (“Sick and Tired”), the pop-punk singer took a shot at Slipknot’s signature wardrobe choices.
“You wanna know what I’m really happy that I’m not doing?” he quipped during his set. “Being 50 years old wearing a f—ing weird mask on a f—ing stage, talking sh–. So anyway, what’s everyone’s favorite candy? Reese’s Pieces?”
September 2021 – Kelly calls Taylor “bitter” over scrapped verse on Tickets to My Downfall
Moving the feud to Twitter, the Blonde Don decided to spill some tea, revealing that the root of the pair’s animosity might be about more than just a couple of petty sound bites in interviews.
“Corey did a verse for a song on Tickets to my Downfall album,” he tweeted. “It was f—ing terrible so I didn’t use it. he got mad about it, and talked sh– to a magazine about the same album he was almost on…just admit he’s bitter.”
September 2021 – Taylor responds by posting email receipts on Twitter
The Slipknot frontman didn’t exactly take kindly to Kelly calling him out, and that very same day decided to fire back with receipts of his own. Posting screenshots of emails between himself, Travis Barker and Kelly, Taylor added context to the failed collab, showing that Kelly initially said he was “stoked” and “honored” that the older rocker agreed to jump on the track. But when the creative process hit a few bumps over Kelly’s notes on Taylor’s verse, the latter bowed out of the collaboration.
“So I listened to the ideas and to be honest, I don’t think I’m the right guy for the track,” he wrote to Barker in January 2020. “Nothing personal, I just think if this is what MGK is looking for, someone else is the guy to do it. It’s ALL good, and I’m stoked for him- I hope you guys find the right fit for it.”
September 2021 – MGK brings Britney Spears into the feud
Rather than subtweet, Kelly responded directly to Taylor’s screenshots, snarking, “Basically, your verse was really bad. respectfully, i was just telling you to rewrite it because it was really bad. respectfully. but let’s do a Britney Spears cover song together.” Hmm…”Toxic,” perhaps?
January 2022 – Corey Taylor hits back during ShipRocked Q&A
After several months of strained silence, Taylor couldn’t resist addressing the bad blood once again during his Q&A session at ShipRocked 2022.
“For those of you that don’t know, MGK doesn’t like me very much,” he said in response to a fan question. “And let me follow that up by saying I don’t care. I won’t fill you in on the whole f—ing story because you can go online and look it all up. However, I will say this: He maintains that I started it. The truth is he started it.
“You don’t get to walk into a genre with the history, with the work… The fact that this genre really doesn’t get the f—ing respect that it deserves,” the rocker continued telling the crowd in fan-captured footage. “You don’t get to walk in as some weird substitute teacher and pretend that you can tell us what to wear — boots, shoes, house f—ing shoes, slippers. Why don’t you suck every inch of my d–k? You don’t get to do that. And these are bands that maybe I don’t even f—ing know, but guess what? I f—ing respect them because they get on f—ing stage and they f—ing give every f—ing thing they’ve got.”
Zara Larsson has indicated that she may have cancelled her December 3 appearance at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The singer initially confirmed that she would not attend, before removing the comment and sharing a more detailed explanation of why the performance no longer feels right for her.
The Swedish star was scheduled to take the stage at Etihad Live on Yas Island during the Yasalam After-Race Concerts. Zara and Lewis Capaldi were due to launch the weekend’s entertainment. However, supporters encouraged her to reconsider the booking because of concerns surrounding the United Arab Emirates’ reported connections to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organisation accused of committing atrocities during the nation’s civil conflict.
A fan commented: “Please read about what UAE is doing to Sudan then cancel your Abu Dhabi show!” Zara responded: “I will not be going to Abu Dhabi.” Fans later realised that both comments had been removed.
She then shared that she had been considering what it means for her, as an artist, to perform in particular countries.
The Midnight Sun singer explained: “I think about that a lot in my life as an artist… I wanna perform and spread joy and music for people in every country, because no single person is their government.
“I’ve met so many wonderful people from every corner of the world and I know this to be true in my heart. I love people, and I love my fans soooo much.”
Zara acknowledged that her original comment “maybe came off as an impulsive response,” but explained that she had given the booking serious thought. She now believes withdrawing is the decision that “aligns with me the most right now, for many different personal reasons beyond politics.”
She continued: “Maybe I’ll delete both comments and do a better statement soon. I hope to sing with you in the beautiful future!”
