Admittedly, celebrities will often seek to insert themselves into whatever story is trending at the moment, and that probably explains the high number of stars in attendance at big sporting events where exposure is guaranteed. If that was the case here, too, it was probably a bad call.
Machine Gun Kelly, or MGK for short and Colson Baker by his birth name, is a divisive celebrity even outside his choice of music. He is what you'd describe as a "love him or hate him" type of guy, with no in-between possible: he's either a genius or a sad poser. This dichotomy only got sharper with his presence at the F1 GP in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
MGK can thank Martin Brundle for that – and what became a viral story and the most awkward interview of all times, bar none. Kanye West can take a couple of seats in the back.
Martin Brundle is a name that hardly needs an introduction with F1 fans. A former racing driver, he turned pundit in his post-pro years and has been a fixture with Sky News for a very long time. His specialty is grid walk interviews with whoever comes his way, be they public figures, celebrities, or industry people.
Over the past couple of years, Brundle has earned the moniker "legend" on social media due to his brash verging on rude but hilarious interviews with celebrities. He's the Brit who got snubbed by A-listers like Megan Thee Stallion, Cara Delevingne, and Brad Pitt – stars who were doing promo work at the F1 GP, casually wandered into Brundle's territories, and died very public (but short-lived) deaths by his poisonous tongue.
Photo: SkyNews
MGK is Brundle's most recent victim if you're to believe the frenzy on X (nee Twitter).
Brundle and MGK crossed paths at the latest F1 race, and Brundle did his part to try and chat the performer up, only to receive silly answers and even sillier requests. However, the one that sent Brundle packing was an invite to do a live air piano and guitar collab for the cameras, which Brundle, always the grumpy Brit, wouldn't even consider in jest because "there's millions watching."
The 2-minute chat ended with MGK storming away and giving Brundle the thumbs down. Brundle was unfazed, as you'd expect from the guy who's been snubbed more times on the grid walk than he could count, if he cared to.
As the video of the awkward exchange went viral, MGK went online to defend himself from accusations that he was "the worst," but may have actually poured gas on the fire. "how?" he asked. "because someone put a microphone in my face essentially forcing me to do a random interview when i was just trying to enjoy an event? because car engines were so loud i couldnt hear him?"
As even his fans point out, you can't just refer to Brundle, a legend in F1, as a "someone," just like you can't go into an F1 event, do the grid walk, and not expect interviews. MGK says he's a fan of F1 and even posed with Christian Horner and his Red Bull Racing team later on that day. He should have known who Brundle was or at least be prepared for a chat on F1-related topics.
We're sure there are two sides to the story, just like we're sure many on X would like every little debate to be a fight to the death on life-or-death matters. This is not it – but it is very awkward and very funny nonetheless.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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