Megan Fox didn’t identify her exes in her poetry book — but they know who they are.
Fox, 37, opened up about her past physically and psychologically abusive relationships in her new collection of poems, Pretty Boys Are Poisonous, which hit shelves earlier this month. While the actress chose not to name names, it was for good reason.
“Going this route and being a little more cryptic helped reduce the complications Megan faced legally, since it would’ve been extremely difficult to call out the rich and famous men whom she says took advantage of her,” a source exclusively shares in the newest issue of Us Weekly. “It was a nerve-racking experience, but Megan’s relieved to have gotten what she needed off her chest.”
The insider added that despite not exposing her exes publicly, Fox is “satisfied knowing that they’re squirming.”
Following the book’s release on November 7, Fox noted that much of the prose is a “metaphor” but none of it is what she would label as “fictional.”
“Those are real-life experiences that I had,” she explained during an appearance on Good Morning America earlier this month. “It’s not an exposé or a memoir. But throughout my life, I have been in at least one physically abusive relationship and several psychologically very abusive relationships. … I shared energy with, I guess we could say, [people] who were horrific people and also very famous, very famous people, but no one knows that I was involved with those people.”
In one poem, titled “Oxycodone and Tequila,” Fox wrote of a “demon of wrath” who would hit her until she recognized “the familiar taste of blood on my tongue.” A second poem, “F–ed Up Fairy Tales,” detailed a relationship with a “violent boy” who was “full of rage and insecurities.” Fox recalled that the ex would often use his “beautiful and strong hands” to “hurt” her.
The actress also got candid about her romance with fiancé Machine Gun Kelly in the poems, referring to him as her “true love, twin flame” as well as a “32-year-old narcissist” and a “complacent rock star.”
In one poem titled “A Beautiful Boy Is a Deadly Drug,” Fox — who also shares sons Noah, 10, Bodhi, 9, and Journey, 6, with ex Brian Austin Green — seemingly compared her relationship with Kelly, 33, to “an addiction that no amount of prayers will ever cure.” She also revealed that she suffered a miscarriage at some point in the couple’s relationship.
Fox and Kelly have been engaged since 2022 but sparked split speculation earlier this year. In February, a source exclusively told Us that the pair had a “big fight” while attending a Super Bowl LVII party in Arizona, which led to Fox removing all the photos of Kelly from her social media accounts. Last month, a second insider shared that the duo have put their wedding plans on hold as they focus “on their relationship and feeling solid before planning another wedding.”
While Fox didn’t hold back in discussing the ups and downs of her relationship with Kelly in her book, the Transformers star explained during a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show that the twosome allow honesty in their art even if the details aren’t always flattering.
“I think it helps that he’s an artist himself and recognizes that he has this outlet where he gets to experience his catharsis through songwriting — where he gets to express his pain in that way,” Fox explained, noting that she’s learned to “let go” when Kelly writes lyrics in his songs that don’t paint her in the best light.
“It is what it is, though, because as long as it’s the truth, then it’s the truth,” she said. “I have to be accountable for my actions and my role inside a relationship, and if someone wants to put that into art, they should.”
Fox added that she wouldn’t blame any of her former flames for writing about her either, saying, “Anyone who dated me in my early 20s should probably write their own poetry book, because I was not a peach.”
For more on Fox’s poetry book, check out the latest issue of Us Weekly on newsstands now.
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.