Machine Gun Kelly Expresses Suspicion Toward the US Moon Landing in 2022 AMAs Speech: ‘Supposedly’

Is Machine Gun Kelly feeding into the conspiracy theory that the United States never actually landed on the moon in 1969?

While accepting the award for favorite rock artist at the 2022 American Music Awards on Sunday, MGK compared his rap-to-rock musical pivot to the Apollo 11 moon landing — which he said only “supposedly” happened.

“Thank you to the fans who got me here, and I love you. I just want to say I’m petitioning for longer mic stands next time,” the “papercuts” performer, 32, opened his speech, picking the microphone stand off the ground to hold closer to his mouth.

“There have been some people in the rock community who called me a tourist, but they’re wrong,” said MGK.

He continued, “I’m a rocket man. We weren’t born on the moon but we looked at it and we were curious and then we went there… supposedly… and these two rock albums were me going to the moon.”

“But I’m not exploring the universe yet, and I am all genres. I’ll see you on Mars, motherf—ers!” concluded the musician before throwing the mic stand, which produced a sound indicating it may have broken.

Those who push the conspiracy theory that NASA faked the 1969 moon landing believe it was a hoax in order for the United States to win the space race against Russia. However, such theories have been long debunked.

“About 400,000 scientists, engineers, technologists, machinists, electricians, worked on the Apollo program,” Rick Fienberg, the American Astronomical Society’s press officer — who has a PhD in astronomy — told History.com in 2019. “If in fact the main motivation for believing in the moon hoax that is you don’t trust the government, you don’t trust our leaders, you don’t trust authority, how can you feel that 400,000 people would keep their mouths shut for 50 years? It’s just implausible.”

Check out PEOPLE’s full AMAs coverage to get the latest news music’s big night.

Ahead of his speech at the 2022 AMAs on Sunday, MGK made headlines for donning a purple wool and neoprene Dolce & Gabbana suit covered in inches-long silver spikes made of gunmetal.

He posed on the black carpet with his arms held out away from him, no doubt because he was avoiding the spikes all down his sides. He wore his platinum blonde hair tousled and loose and accessorized with a studded necklace and earrings. Not missing one opportunity to coordinate, even his boots had studs on them.

Elsewhere during his favorite rock artist acceptance speech, MGK said the suit was “uncomfortable to pee in.”