Plot twist! Eminem made a surprise appearance at the 2020 Oscars to perform “Lose Yourself” from the his semi-autobiographical film, 8 Mile, on Sunday, February 9.
The 47-year-old rapper took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with no introduction following a package dedicated to music in films.
Celebrities in the crowd at the 92nd annual Academy Awards were seemingly in shock at the beginning of Eminem’s performance. While Idina Menzel and Billie Eilish looked confused and unamused, Martin Scorsese was spotted sleeping during the exciting number. Other stars, including Anthony Ramos and Gal Gadot, however, were seen jamming out to the performance. At the end, Eminem received a standing ovation.
The musician also made waves on social media with his appearance.
“Eminem at the oscars moodboard #oscars,” one social media user wrote alongside photos of the mixed reactions in the crowd.
A second user tweeted, “EMINEM IS SINGING LOSE YOURSELF what a f—king plot twist !! #Oscars”
“Excuse me. I’m going to need the week off of work to recover from this Eminem performance at THE OSCARS. #Oscars,” a third person wrote.
Eminem won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Lose Yourself” in 2003, but opted not to attend the ceremony.
“Actually, I was sleeping that night. I just felt like I had no chance of winning. … I didn’t go to the show … I just felt like I had a snowballs chance of winning,” Eminem explained in a 2015 interview. “I think I got it confused when they said about Oscar. … At that point in my life I always felt like rap never got a fair shake on anything.”
After his performance on Sunday, he tweeted out a clip of the moment the track won at the 75th Academy Awards.
“Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity… Thanks for having me @TheAcademy,” he tweeted. “Sorry it took me 18 years to get here.”
