Before the pink hair, the blood-vial necklaces, and the sold-out arenas, Colson Baker was just a kid in Cleveland trying to keep his head above water. Most people only know the rockstar persona of Machine Gun Kelly, the guy who dominated headlines with Megan Fox or sparred with Eminem. But long before the paparazzi cared about his every move, there was Emma Cannon.
She isn't a celebrity. She doesn't have a verified Instagram account with millions of followers, and she’s stayed remarkably quiet while her ex-partner became a household name. Honestly, in an era where everyone is chasing their fifteen minutes of fame, her silence is almost legendary.
The Cleveland Years and Casie Colson Baker
MGK and Emma Cannon met when they were basically kids. We're talking teenagers at a Blink-182 concert kind of young. This wasn't a Hollywood romance; it was a gritty, real-world relationship between two people in Ohio before the "Machine Gun Kelly" moniker even had any weight behind it.
They had their daughter, Casie Colson Baker, in 2009. At the time, Colson was only 18 or 19 years old. Think about that for a second. While most guys that age are worrying about college finals or what party to hit on Friday night, he and Emma were navigating parenthood with zero dollars in the bank.
Casie is the center of MGK's world now—you see her on red carpets and in his social media posts—but Emma Cannon is the one who was there in the trenches during the lean years. People forget that Colson used to work at Chipotle just to make ends meet. He’s been open about his struggles with poverty and the pressure of trying to provide for a newborn while chasing a rap career that most people thought was a pipe dream.
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Why the Internet is Obsessed with a "Ghost"
It’s kind of wild. If you search for Emma Cannon, you’ll find a handful of grainy photos from over a decade ago and a lot of fan theories. Why? Because she’s the ultimate "non-famous" person linked to a mega-star.
- She never did a tell-all interview.
- No "spilling the tea" on TikTok.
- She didn’t try to launch a lifestyle brand off her ex's fame.
This lack of information creates a vacuum that fans fill with speculation. Some people think they were married (there's no public record of a legal marriage). Others claim they are still secretly close. The reality is likely much more grounded: they are co-parents who figured out how to make it work away from the cameras. MGK has occasionally posted tributes to her on Mother's Day, calling her the "best mother" he's ever seen, which tells you a lot about the mutual respect they've maintained despite the chaos of his career trajectory.
Navigating Fame and Privacy
Living in the shadow of a global superstar can't be easy. Most of MGK's later relationships—like those with Amber Rose, Sommer Ray, and eventually Megan Fox—were lived out in the harshest possible spotlight.
Emma Cannon represents a version of Colson Baker that doesn't exist anymore. She knew him before the tattoos covered every inch of his skin. She knew him when he was just a kid named Colson who played small clubs in Cleveland. That kind of history is heavy. It's probably why she stays away from the Hollywood scene entirely. Honestly, can you blame her?
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There was a song on his Lace Up album that fans often point to when discussing their relationship. The lyrics paint a picture of a young couple struggling against the world. It’s raw, it’s messy, and it feels authentic to the Cleveland rap scene of the late 2000s.
What People Get Wrong About Their Timeline
A common misconception is that Emma and Colson were together during his massive pop-punk pivot with Tickets to My Downfall. By the time that album dropped in 2020, they had been separated for years. Their romantic relationship belongs to the "Rap Era" MGK.
By the time he was dating Halsey or Megan Fox, Emma had already solidified her role as the private co-parent. It’s a testament to her character that even during his most controversial public moments, her name rarely gets dragged into the tabloids. She’s managed to remain a private citizen while her daughter becomes a public figure, which is a massive feat in 2026.
The Co-Parenting Dynamic
If you look at Casie's public appearances with her dad, she seems incredibly grounded. That doesn't happen by accident. While MGK is out touring the world or filming movies, Emma provides the stability that every kid needs.
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Colson has admitted in several interviews over the years that he wasn't always the easiest person to be with. He’s struggled with mental health and substance use, things he’s been very transparent about in his music and his documentary, Life in Pink. Emma Cannon was there for the early stages of that journey. She saw the highs and the terrifying lows before he had a professional team of publicists and managers to help him navigate it.
The bond they share is permanent because of Casie. No matter who MGK is dating or what genre of music he's making, Emma is the foundation of his early adulthood.
Actionable Takeaways for Following the Story
If you're trying to keep up with the real story behind the headlines, stop looking for "official" Emma Cannon social media accounts. Most of them are fake fan pages or people trying to farm engagement.
Instead, focus on these verified facts:
- Prioritize the Music: Listen to MGK's early mixtapes like 100 Words and Running or his debut Lace Up. The lyrics there give you more insight into his life with Emma than any tabloid ever will.
- Respect the Privacy: Recognize that staying out of the spotlight is a choice. The most "pro-Emma" thing a fan can do is respect that she doesn't want to be a public figure.
- Watch the Documentary: Life in Pink (available on Hulu/Disney+) offers the most recent, sanitized look at his family life, though it still focuses heavily on his current path.
- Support the Art: MGK's evolution from a Cleveland rapper to a rock star is a direct result of the drive he found when he first became a father with Emma.
The relationship between Emma Cannon and Machine Gun Kelly is a reminder that celebrities are human beings with complicated pasts. Everyone has a "the one that was there before," and for MGK, that person provided the foundation for everything he has today. He might be the one on stage, but the support system back in Ohio played an undeniable role in getting him there.