Eminem skipped out on the Academy Awards 17 years ago when he won an Oscar for his song “Lose Yourself” from the movie 8 Mile. At the time, the rap star was at the height of his fame and didn’t need an Oscars appearance to boost his already stratospheric career.
What a difference two decades makes. Now seeking a comeback following a series of poorly received albums, Eminem deigned to perform at the 92nd Academy Awards on Sunday even though he wasn’t nominated for anything. The bearded rapper chose to recycle “Lose Yourself,” performing before a surprised and somewhat baffled audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
EMINEM AT THE #OSCARS pic.twitter.com/enMWCOsWif
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) February 10, 2020
Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity… Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here. pic.twitter.com/CmSw2hmcZo
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) February 10, 2020
His surprise appearance generated bi-partisan head scratching and mockery on social media as well as in the traditional media. Some wondered why Oscar producers decided to resurrect a song from nearly two decades ago that had no relevance to the year’s crop of nominations.
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes spoke for many when he questioned why the Oscars brought back Eminem to perform an old song.
I still don’t quite get why Eminem performed an 18-year-old song last night?
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 10, 2020
Time magazine noted that Eminem’s appearance “confused pretty much everyone watching,”
Eminem’s surprise performance of his hit song “Lose Yourself” at the 2020 #Oscars confused pretty much everyone watching https://t.co/jYVKxv9k56
— TIME (@TIME) February 10, 2020
‘The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg called the performance “awesome” in what was likely a sarcastic tweet.
AWESOME: @Eminem performs the best original song Oscar winner from 17 years ago, “Lose Yourself”! pic.twitter.com/rHBxiPP0zo
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) February 10, 2020
Variety also got in on the game, mocking Eminem’s appearance by memeing a reaction shot of Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese reacts to Eminem's #Oscars performance pic.twitter.com/rywFkseOHf
— Variety (@Variety) February 10, 2020
Social media commenters noted that celebrities in the audience appeared befuddled by Eminem’s surprise appearance. Idina Menzel’s puzzled reaction became an almost instant meme.
Framing this photo of a confused Idina Menzel watching Eminem perform at the #Oscars in 2020. pic.twitter.com/mlTVAhEfkj
— Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) February 10, 2020
Billie Eilish and Idina Menzel is everyone wondering why Eminem is performing at the #Oscars. pic.twitter.com/voginNZgW3
— Braddington (@bradwhipple) February 10, 2020
Hip-hop magazine XXL mocked the audience reactions to Eminem in a video compilation.
Here are all the audience reactions to Eminem’s surprise #Oscar performance… 😂😂pic.twitter.com/zO4YFSGTkO
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) February 10, 2020
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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