Machine Gun Kelly never seemed to be the neurotic type. The musician, who has tattoos all over his body, including one that looks like a slice on his neck, once shared horrific photos of his slashed face after breaking a champagne glass. Let's not forget that he and fiancée Megan Fox have been known to "occasionally drink each other's blood for ritual purposes," as she explained to Glamor UK in April. It's no surprise that some blood-sucking worms mean nothing to him.
Kelly apparently decided to try some form of leech therapy, as he showed off in an Instagram Story on Friday, December 16. The Good Mourning star and co-director showed off a video of himself with several leeches on his inked belly. , labeling them “my best friend.” For a viewer like me, that's a lot. Or maybe I should say too much. He didn't shy away from really zooming in on the slimy parasites, with extreme close-ups showing at least four of them, half stacked on top of one another. Trigger warning: There is a photo below. (Honestly, that's as far away from a leech as he's holding a camera; in his story, it's much closer to a leech.)
One last chance to look away. If you don't want to see it, just get over here!
Kelly didn't explain his... get-together with his "friends." However, leeches do have medical uses, as disgusting as they sound. According to Healthline, they have been used for thousands of years to treat skin conditions, neurological abnormalities, infections, and even dental problems. Their saliva contains peptides and proteins that improve blood circulation, and studies show it also has anti-inflammatory and anesthetic properties. In leech therapy, the organisms feed for about 20 to 45 minutes, taking in relatively small amounts of blood (about 15 ml) each time, and their bites leave no scars. It doesn't sound so bad if you can forget what's happening.
Leeches, meanwhile, have a history of being used in more mysterious ways. One belief is that leeches can cleanse your soul of evil spirits. He didn't specify why his creepy crawly friends were on him, although it also seemed like something Kelly might be interested in.
MGK and Fox are known for participating in unique experiences and rituals (see the aforementioned blood drinking). For example, she told Jimmy Kimmel Live guest host Arsenio Hall in July 2021 about their trip to the jungles of Costa Rica to practice ayahuasca. Her description of the three-day event as "extraordinarily intense" appeared to be an understatement. She recalled that after "vomiting," everyone drank lemongrass tea until the vomiting started, and the next night she "went to hell forever." Leeches actually sound pretty tame by comparison.
