Eminem's Estranged Mother Reacts to His Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction

By Daniel S. Levine

Eminem's estranged mother Debbie Mathers broke her silence on the rapper's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a video that surfaced on social media Monday. Eminem joined the Rock Hall on Saturday during a ceremony that will be broadcast on HBO on Nov. 19. Mathers, 67, and her son have not had good public relations and she did not attend the ceremony.

"Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame," Mathers said in the clip, referring to Eminem's real name, notes PEOPLE. "I love you very much. I knew you'd get there. It's been a long ride. I'm very, very proud of you." The clip was published by the fan Twitter accounts @EminemBrasil and @BookofShady.

Mathers also praised her granddaughter, Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade Mathers. "And also I'm very proud of Hailie Jade, my big girl," she said. "I want to tell you Hailie, great job on your podcast and God bless you guys. I love you very much."

Eminem and his mother have not been on the best of terms. In 1999, Mathers sued her son for $11 million over defamation of character. A judge ruled in her favor, but she was only awarded $25,000. Eminem referenced the relationship in the 2002 song "Cleanin' Out My Closet" and 2013's "Headlights," which are both about the difficult home life he faced growing up.

During his acceptance speech, Eminem mentioned how unusual his induction was. Only a handful of other rappers were inducted before him, including Jay-Z, N.W.A., and Tupac Shakur. He also noted how he almost died from a drug overdose in 2007. He warned Hailie, who attended the ceremony, not to listen to that portion of his speech. "Hailie, plug your ears: because drugs were f—ing delicious, and I thought we had a good thing going man, but I had to go and f— it all up and take too many. God damn. OK Hailie," Eminem said.

Eminem recalled how difficult his journey to success was. "I had to really fight my way through man to try and breakthrough in this music, and I'm so honored and I'm so grateful that I'm even able to be up here doing hip-hop music, man because I love it so much," the "Lose Yourself" performer said. 

Dr. Dre, who was inducted in 2016 as a member of N.W.A., inducted Eminem. In his speech, Dre recalled meeting Eminem and explained why the Detroit native stood out in the rap scene.

"His raw, dark, and humorous lyrics coupled with an impeccable cadence stood out from anything I had ever heard before, and he was hungry. Both of us were," Dre explained. "We were two artists in do-or-die situations: he was desperate to find a way to feed his family and I was searching for something to sink my teeth into creatively. Each of us was exactly what the other needed and I was willing to bet my entire career on it."

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