diff --git a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig.go b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig.go
index 1750e721d7bd..da3cdac9c32f 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig.go
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ package v1alpha1
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"net/url"
+	"strings"
 
+	"golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 )
 
@@ -114,3 +116,18 @@ func setTinkerbellMachineConfigDefaults(machineConfig *TinkerbellMachineConfig)
 		machineConfig.Spec.OSFamily = Bottlerocket
 	}
 }
+
+func normalizeSSHKeys(machineConfig *TinkerbellMachineConfig) {
+	_ = stripCommentsFromSSHKeys(machineConfig)
+}
+
+func stripCommentsFromSSHKeys(machine *TinkerbellMachineConfig) error {
+	public, _, _, _, err := ssh.ParseAuthorizedKey([]byte(machine.Spec.Users[0].SshAuthorizedKeys[0]))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	machine.Spec.Users[0].SshAuthorizedKeys[0] = strings.TrimSpace(string(ssh.MarshalAuthorizedKey(public)))
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig_webhook.go b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig_webhook.go
index c704d4cf34f9..0c307525bda2 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig_webhook.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig_webhook.go
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ var _ webhook.Defaulter = &TinkerbellMachineConfig{}
 func (r *TinkerbellMachineConfig) Default() {
 	tinkerbellmachineconfiglog.Info("Setting up Tinkerbell Machine Config defaults", klog.KObj(r))
 	r.SetDefaults()
+	tinkerbellmachineconfiglog.Info("Normalize SSHKeys by removing comments from the keys", klog.KObj(r))
+	normalizeSSHKeys(r)
 }
 
 // TODO(user): change verbs to "verbs=create;update;delete" if you want to enable deletion validation.
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig_webhook_test.go b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig_webhook_test.go
index 938eef8f1334..367ba017a664 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig_webhook_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/tinkerbellmachineconfig_webhook_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package v1alpha1_test
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"testing"
 
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -149,6 +150,38 @@ func TestTinkerbellMachineConfigDefaultOSFamily(t *testing.T) {
 	g.Expect(mOld.Spec.OSFamily).To(Equal(v1alpha1.Bottlerocket))
 }
 
+func TestTinkerbellMachineConfigMutateSSHKey(t *testing.T) {
+	sshKey := "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIGuWn+GtgUe/g85l4SqSsGCV56CXZzqktKX/hYAl7MwO"
+	mOld := v1alpha1.CreateTinkerbellMachineConfig(func(mc *v1alpha1.TinkerbellMachineConfig) {
+		mc.Spec.Users = []v1alpha1.UserConfiguration{
+			{
+				Name:              "user",
+				SshAuthorizedKeys: []string{fmt.Sprintf("%s abc@xyz.com", sshKey)},
+			},
+		}
+	})
+
+	mOld.Default()
+	g := NewWithT(t)
+	g.Expect(mOld.Spec.Users[0].SshAuthorizedKeys[0]).To(Equal(sshKey))
+}
+
+func TestTinkerbellMachineConfigMutateSSHKeyNotMutated(t *testing.T) {
+	sshKey := "ssh incorrect Key abc@xyz.com"
+	mOld := v1alpha1.CreateTinkerbellMachineConfig(func(mc *v1alpha1.TinkerbellMachineConfig) {
+		mc.Spec.Users = []v1alpha1.UserConfiguration{
+			{
+				Name:              "user",
+				SshAuthorizedKeys: []string{sshKey},
+			},
+		}
+	})
+
+	mOld.Default()
+	g := NewWithT(t)
+	g.Expect(mOld.Spec.Users[0].SshAuthorizedKeys[0]).To(Equal(sshKey))
+}
+
 func TestTinkerbellMachineConfigValidateUpdateFailUsers(t *testing.T) {
 	machineConfigOld := v1alpha1.CreateTinkerbellMachineConfig()
 	machineConfigNew := v1alpha1.CreateTinkerbellMachineConfig(func(mc *v1alpha1.TinkerbellMachineConfig) {