Pop diva Mariah Carey (56) directly spoke out about the circulating claim that the rift with rapper Eminem (52) began with an offer to cast her as a mother in the film "8 Mile."
Recently, producer Damien Young revealed, "Eminem offered Mariah Carey the role of his mother in the film 8 Mile (2002), which hurt her pride." The claim was that he offered the "mother role" to Carey, who is only four years younger than Eminem.
But Carey appeared on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live on the 4th (local time) and coolly replied, "I heard there's some truth to that story," adding, "I don't know who first suggested it. But whether that was the start of the fight doesn't matter. I don't care."
When Andy Cohen asked, "Was that offer the reason their feud began?", Mariah smiled leisurely and said, "Maybe, but it's not really important to me. It's just rap lyrics."
The role ultimately went to actress Kim Basinger, who is 15 years older than Mariah. 8 Mile is a work inspired by Eminem's real-life upbringing, and at the 2003 Academy Awards it won the best original song award for "Lose Yourself."
Damien Young appeared on the TFU podcast in June and recalled, "Eminem wanted to speak with Mariah directly," saying, "When I connected the three of them on a call, Eminem said, 'I'd like you to play my mother.' That comment hurt Mariah's pride."
The bad blood between the two began in the early 2000s amid brief dating rumors. Eminem claimed they dated for six months, but Mariah completely denied it. Afterwards, Eminem targeted Mariah in songs on his album The Eminem Show, including "Superman" and "When the Music Stops," and Mariah immediately retaliated with "Clown."
Their "diss battle" continued with Eminem's "Bagpipes from Baghdad" in 2009, Mariah's "Obsessed," and Eminem's "The Warning," keeping tensions high for nearly 20 years.
Mariah also said on the show, "I don't care what he says. I'm just me."
[Photo] Mariah Carey SNS, ©Getty Images (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited)
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