The Queen of Christmas is fresh off dropping her 16th studio album, Here for It All, but leave it to Andy Cohen and a little tequila to steer the conversation right back to a nearly two-decade-old beef. Specifically, the one with Marshall Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem. This feud—a lyrical catfight waged across rap tracks and R&B ballads—has been one of pop culture’s most enduring mysteries. Was it a scorned ex-lover’s rampage, or did it all start with a remarkably tone-deaf casting suggestion? Mimi finally had to address the rumors on Watch What Happens Live, and in classic, glittering Mariah style, she was a little vague, a little dismissive, and utterly fabulous about the whole mess.
The New Theory: “You Wanna Play My Mother?”
For years, the accepted gospel on the Eminem-Carey cold war was the simplest, most dramatic one: a disputed romance. Eminem claimed they dated for a good six or seven months in the early 2000s, while Mariah has consistently dismissed their connection as merely “hanging out” a few times. He was the scorned rapper, she was the denial-fueled diva, and the result was epic diss tracks that became industry lore.
But this summer, a new, deliciously awkward origin story surfaced from producer Damion “Damizza” Young, who once worked with Mariah. Young claimed that the real spark that set the whole thing off wasn’t the post-breakup sniping, but a pre-filming phone call about Eminem’s semi-autobiographical film, 8 Mile (2002).
Picture it: Mariah, the ‘Songbird Supreme’ fresh from her own box office stumble with Glitter, is presented with a movie offer from the hottest rapper on the planet. Exciting, right? Then came the ask. Allegedly, Eminem wanted the then-32-year-old Mariah—who is only four years his senior—to play his mother, Stephanie Smith, a part that ultimately went to the 15-years-older Kim Basinger. Ouch. According to Young, the offer sent Mariah’s “insecurities” into overdrive. It’s the kind of insult only Hollywood can truly deliver: “You’re not just older than me, but you’re mother material.
Mimi’s Official Account: A ‘Rap Lyric’ Defense
So, when Andy Cohen cornered Mariah with the rumor on Plead the Fifth, the anticipation was palpable. The diva’s response was a masterclass in deflection, a verbal shimmy away from the central drama.
“From what I heard, there is truth to that, but I don’t think that he actually… well, who knows who approached who?” she mused, giving the rumor just enough air to breathe. But when Cohen pushed, asking if this mortifying casting call “ignited” the legendary beef, Mariah pulled the cord.
“No, I mean, maybe. It depends what he’s thinking. I really don’t care,” she deadpanned, before adding the line that instantly went viral: “Like, whatever he said, then I’m that, fine. Not really. But that’s a rap lyric.”
That’s a rap lyric. Let that sink in. Mariah Carey, the ultimate arbiter of pop glamour, dismissing decades of scathing, deeply personal disses—including Eminem’s infamous 2009 track “The Warning”—as mere performance art. It’s an epic clap-back wrapped in a silk dressing gown. She’s essentially telling the world that Eminem’s entire side of the feud is nothing but fodder for his rhyming dictionary. It elevates her above the fray, painting her as the unbothered icon who doesn’t track the small-time beef of her lesser-known associates.
The Original Sin: Who Dated Who?
While the 8 Mile rumor is a delightful piece of celebrity lore, the core of the feud has always been Eminem’s insistence they were intimate and Carey’s total denial.
Eminem was never shy about his claims. In a 2002 interview, he confirmed the relationship, stating, “Yes, me and Mariah did have a relationship for about a good six, seven months.” He also added a truly charming assessment of her personality: “I just don’t like her as a person.” On his 2002 album, The Eminem Show, he dropped hints on tracks like “Superman” and “When The Music Stops”.
Mariah’s counter-narrative, however, was air-tight. “I hung out with him, I spoke to him on the phone. I think I was probably with him a total of four times,” she clarified back in 2002, firmly planting the relationship firmly in the ‘booty-call-that-never-quite-happened’ zone, certainly not in the six-month exclusivity he was selling. Her song “Clown” from that year threw a subtle but sharp jab, painting him as a desperately attention-seeking fool.
The Diss Track Escalation: From ‘Clown’ to ‘The Warning’
The real fun started in 2009. By then, Mariah was married to the much-younger Nick Cannon, and the happy couple seemed to be living a blissful, unbothered life. This, apparently, drove Eminem nuts.
He attacked both of them on his track “Bagpipes From Baghdad”, rapping lines like, “Nick Cannon better back the f** up. I’m not playing, I want her back, you punk.”*
Mariah’s reply was the iconic track and video for “Obsessed,” in which she literally dresses up as a stalker who is clearly a caricature of Eminem. It was camp, it was shady, and it drove Eminem to his most brutal, unhinged response: “The Warning.”
This track was savage, referencing alleged voicemails, intimate details, and threatening to release pictures. He also made a point of repeatedly attacking Nick Cannon. Eminem’s lyrics were raw, venomous, and went far beyond the boundaries of a typical rap beef. It was clear this was personal, which only fueled the public’s fascination with who was telling the truth about that disputed relationship.
For a time, “The Warning” seemed to have silenced the whole affair. When you release a track that threatens to expose private phone calls, most people retreat. But Mariah’s calm dismissal this week—two decades later—suggests she views that entire period, all the rage and threats, as nothing more than a fleeting distraction from her legendary career. It was just a rap lyric.
A Pattern of Celebrity Spats
Mariah’s method of dealing with the Eminem feud—distancing herself, denying the premise, and ultimately dismissing it—is a classic celebrity pattern. The biggest stars often employ an air of studied indifference to lesser adversaries. Think of it as the ultimate celebrity power move: You are obsessed with me, while I barely remember your name.
This pattern isn’t unique to Mimi. The greatest disarm in a celebrity feud is to simply act unimpressed. Take the famous back-and-forth between Drake and Pusha T. While Pusha T went for the jugular, revealing Drake’s secret child on “The Story of Adidon,” Drake’s choice to simply not respond with a full-blown diss track was seen by many as the winning move. He chose silence over saturation, thereby denying the beef the oxygen it needed to burn him down.
Similarly, Taylor Swift has mastered the slow-burn revenge narrative. She might be the queen of the meticulously crafted public image, but when faced with the drama surrounding Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, she retreated, only to resurrect the narrative years later in documentaries or re-recorded “vault tracks,” ensuring she controls the final word. The common thread is always control: control over the narrative, control over the temperature, and control over when the topic is deemed worthy of a response. For Mariah, the answer is only when Andy Cohen asks on live TV, and even then, the answer is “I really don’t care.”
The goal is to maintain the Diva Persona—a brand that requires a level of elevated, almost otherworldly detachment from the messy reality the rest of us live in. Mariah’s “I really don’t care” isn’t just a flippant comment; it’s a carefully crafted, billion-dollar brand statement.
Mimi Moves On: Here for It All
While the drama is eternally entertaining for us ‘lambs’ and ‘stans’ in the cheap seats, Mariah herself is busy proving she’s far from a nostalgic act. Her new album, Here for It All, released on September 26, is her first in seven years and is a return to form, blending R&B, soul, and gospel, with collabs from new blood like Anderson .Paak and Kehlani.
The title track itself, “Here for It All,” is a powerful ballad about embracing life’s highs and lows—the “glory, the shakes, and withdrawals”. It’s an oddly fitting theme when viewed through the lens of her old beef. She’s here for the triumphs, the sales, the legacy, and yes, she’s even here for the absurd, lingering drama with a rapper who allegedly wanted her to play his middle-aged mother. She is Mariah Carey, and as long as she’s not the one rapping, she’s not worried.
Sources
- YouTube – Mariah Carey and Eminem’s REAL BEEF Finally Revealed, 20+ Years Later – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSad0WZ3KYA
- Consequence – Eminem wanted Mariah Carey, who is only four years older, to play his mom in 8 Mile – https://consequence.net/2025/06/eminem-mariah-carey-mom-8-mile/
- Revolt TV – Mariah Carey addresses Eminem feud: “I really don’t care” – https://www.revolt.tv/article/mariah-carey-eminem-feud-8-mile-rumor
- People – Mariah Carey Addresses Beef with Eminem Over ‘8 Mile’ Movie Role: ‘Really Don’t Care’ – https://people.com/mariah-carey-addresses-beef-with-eminem-over-8-mile-movie-role-11823138
- UNILAD – Mariah Carey finally addresses reason behind long-standing Eminem feud – https://www.unilad.com/celebrity/news/mariah-carey-eminem-8-mile-feud-addressed-988782-20251003
- Wikipedia – The Warning (song) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Warning_(song
- Rated R&B – Mariah Carey’s ‘Here For It All’ Album: Everything We Know So Far – https://ratedrnb.com/2025/09/mariah-carey-here-for-it-all-album-everything-we-know-so-far/