Eminem is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer who is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. He was born on October 17, 1972, as Marshall Bruce Mathers III to a single mother, Debbie Nelson, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Mathers had a difficult childhood, dealing with bullying, poverty, and moving around until he finally settled down in Detroit. He eventually dropped out of high school, worked part-time jobs, and pursued music full-time.
In 1996, Mathers adopted the mononym “Eminem” and released his debut album, “Infinite,” and his extended play, “Slim Shady EP.” Both records launched him into international stardom, leading the rapper to sign up with Dr. Dre’s label, Aftermath Entertainment. During the following years, Eminem dropped “The Slim Shady LP” (1999), “The Marshall Mathers LP” (2000), “The Eminem Show” (2002), and “Encore” (2004). After the last album, the rapper took a break before releasing “Relapse” and “Recovery” in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
Eminem’s early works were considered some of the bestselling albums of the decade and earned him multiple Grammy nominations and awards. Although the rapper’s angsty and explicit style made him a controversial figure, his music became an importance influence for other artists in the industry. In addition to popularizing hip-hop in the Midwest, he’s also credited for introducing white rappers to a black-dominated genre. While Eminem has undoubtedly slowed down over the past few years, he’s still actively making music with his latest album “Music to Be Murdered By” released in 2020.
Throughout his career, Eminem has been involved in countless controversies, disputes, and public feuds. From his turbulent marriage to his true sexuality, every aspect of the rapper’s life has been put into question. So, is Eminem gay? Read on below to find out the truth.
VOTE: What is Eminem’s Sexuality?
Eminem’s Dating History
When it comes to his dating history, Eminem is no different from other artists. The rapper has a long list of girlfriends, flings, and rumored lovers. Surprisingly, he was only married twice and to the same woman. Here’s a brief summary of Eminem’s two most public relationships.
Eminem and Kimberly Scott (1989-2006)
Eminem met his high school sweetheart Kimberly “Kim” Scott at a house party in 1988. Kim and her twin sister, Dawn, were runaways and were living in a youth shelter in Detroit. Eminem and Kim hit it off almost immediately and was dating by the following year. Shortly into their relationship, the rapper brought Kim home to live with him and his mother. Unfortunately, three’s a crowd and the couple moved out to a less-than-fortunate neighborhood.
In 1995, Eminem and Kim welcomed their first daughter, Hailie. At this point, the rapper was on the rise into mainstream fame. The pressure of fame and his ambitions while raising a child together put a strain on their relationship. The couple went through a continuous loop of breaking up and making up. Amidst their turbulent history, they managed to tie the knot in 1999. However, the marriage didn’t last long and the pair divorced in 2001.
Surprisingly, Eminem and Kim reconciled and got married again in 2006. It was another short-lived marriage and they went their separate ways after a few months. The rapper has admitted many times over the years that he had trust issues and considered himself a bad husband. His ex-wife was also vocal about their relationship in interviews.
Money is great, but it doesn’t make your husband stay at home with you,” she said. “Or sleep in the same bed with you … Him being on the road and on tour … that was like the big one. I mean … constant infidelities, all the time… In our relationship, there’s a pattern. Like, we’ll have two good years and then it will go bad for some reason. It’s like a two-year max with us and we hadn’t reached the two years yet. I just didn’t want to rush into anything before the two years.”
Kim Scott to 20/20, 2007
In addition to Hailie, whom Eminem shares with his ex-wife, he also has two other children, Alaina Marie and Stevie Laine. Alaina is actually the daughter of Kim’s sister, Dawn. The rapper adopted his niece early on as her biological mother struggled with addiction. Meanwhile, Stevie is the child of Kim and her then-boyfriend, Eric Hartter. When Eminem and Kim got married again, the rapper officially adopted Stevie as well.
Eminem and Mariah Carey (2002)
Ironically, one of Eminem’s most public affairs was his alleged relationship with singer and superstar, Mariah Carey. The pair first met in 2001 while they were both at the peaks of their careers. Apparently, Carey reached out to the rapper to collaborate with him on her upcoming album. While the singer insisted that it was a professional relationship, Eminem stated otherwise.
The rapper mentioned Carey in several of his tracks and shared that they dated for several months before the affair fizzled out. The revelation dominated the headlines which didn’t please the superstar one bit. In her album “Charmbracelet,” Carey threw jabs at the rapper through her song, “Clown.” She also denied ever having an intimate relationship with Eminem and parodied the rapper during one of her shows.
By 2005, the feud got heated when Eminem started playing voice messages from the singer during his concerts. The rapper continued namedropping Carey in his songs for three more years, even including her then-husband, Nick Cannon, in his diss tracks. In 2009, Carey bombed the internet with the drop of her single “Obsessed” which talked about a man who was infatuated with her. The song and music video were obviously a dig at Eminem.
Not long after Carey’s release, Eminem unleashed his fury with a scathing diss track, “The Warning.” In the song, the rapper claimed that he and the singer dated for six months and that she called him multiple times after the relationship was over. There were plenty of explicit references to their affair with Eminem warning Carey that if she continued to stir the issue, he’d drop the evidence. Needless to say, the feud was unofficially over after that.
Eminem’s “Coming Out”
It’s not the first time that Eminem was dragged into controversies. Over the years, the rapper has been criticized for his derogatory lyrics and hounded with questions regarding his sexuality. In 2014, Eminem poked fun at the issue by making a cameo in the political satire film, “The Interview.” The rapper appeared as himself and revealed that he was gay. He was obviously not gay in real life.
Eminem clearly grew out of the impulsive and rash nature he had in his younger years. The rapper is now a vocal ally for the LGBTQ community and has spoken out in support of same-sex marriage. His youngest child, Stevie, also came out as non-binary and uses “they/them” pronouns. It’s safe to say that Eminem is extremely supportive of his child’s gender identity.
Is Eminem Gay?
No, Eminem is not gay. Based on his past relationships, the rapper has only been with women. He married and divorced his high school sweetheart Kim Scott at least twice. He has three children with one of them identifying as non-binary. At this point, fans can assume that Eminem is straight.
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