Eminem has reflected on a pivotal moment in his life, revealing that missing his daughter Hailie Jade McClintock’s first guitar recital after a near-fatal overdose in 2007 became a turning point in his path to sobriety.
Speaking in his new documentary STANS, released in cinemas on August 7, the rapper detailed his struggles at the time. “I got into this vicious cycle of, ‘I’m depressed so I need more pills’ and then your tolerance gets so high you end up overdosing,” he said.
“I woke up in the hospital and I didn’t know what the f--- happened. It seemed like I fell asleep, and I woke up with tubes in me and s---. I wanted to get up. I couldn’t move,” he recalled, adding that after leaving hospital he felt he would “die if I don’t do something.”
Eminem said the realisation deepened when he saw a recording of Hailie’s recital. “The amount of guilt that I felt, I cried when I saw it because I was like, ‘Oh my God, I missed that.’” He then asked himself, “Do you want to miss everything? If you can’t do it for yourself... then at least do it for them.”
The rapper has been sober since April 2008, creating his 2009 album Relapse during his early recovery. In April 2024, he marked 16 years of sobriety.
STANS, directed by Steven Leckart, explores the complex relationship between Eminem’s private life and public persona, featuring rare footage, stylised recreations, and interviews, including an exclusive conversation with the artist.
It will be in AMC Theatres until August 10 and stream internationally on Paramount+ later this year.
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