The rock star who helped Eminem conquer his drug addiction
It’s the kind of unlikely friendship that is near impossible not to love. Eminem is the hard as nails, rebellious rap star of his generation, whose controversial lyrics include hardly veiled – actually, often explicit – homophobic references and slurs.
And Elton John, by comparison, is the gay icon that is near peerless in his activism for LGBT rights, whether through his Elton John AIDS Foundation, his trademark flamboyant style, or merely existing publicly as a high-profile gay celebrity when few others were.
They are two of the biggest and successful musicians in history. Elton John is the world’s 19th EGOT winner, while Eminem is one Tony away from this hugely outstanding accomplishment; the two have sold over 520 million records globally and won 20 Grammy Awards between them. But apart from being definitive figures of their respective genres and eras, there’s not much one would assume Sir Elton and Slim Shady have in common.
But they are, as it turns out, friends. Great friends, it turns out. Eight years on from performing Eminem’s hit single “Stan” together at the 2001 Grammy Awards, a performance in which Elton played piano and sung the chorus, and yet one overshadowed by the aforementioned allegations of Eminem’s homophobia from LGBT activists, the rapper spoke to the Detroit Metro Times on the strength of their friendship.
“I talk to Elton a lot,” Eminem said in the interview. “Me and him have had similar lives and stuff,” he expanded. “We became friends and I talk to him about things, career-wise.”
And lest one be cynical to think that they exclusively talk about selling out stadiums and remembering to dust their award cabinets. According to Eminem, Elton John was instrumental in helping him navigate his recovery from drug addiction, which was so acute that the rapper almost died from a methadone overdose.
“When I first wanted to get sober, I called [Elton] and spoke to him about it,” Eminem said. “He’s somebody who’s in the business and can identify and relate to the lifestyle and how hectic things can be. He understands … the pressure and any other reasons that you want to come up with for doing drugs.”
“I reached out to him and told him, ‘Look, I’m going through a problem and I need your advice.'” Elton John even allegedly served as Eminem’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.
The two publicly reunited at another awards show nearly two decades after the infamous Grammys performance, which – despite the contemporary fanfare – actually concluded with the rapper and singer hugging and holding hands in a sign of unity and fraternity. At the 2020 Oscars, Eminem posted a photo with Elton, calling him “Uncle Elton” in the caption and congratulating him on his ‘Best Original Song’ win for ‘(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again’ from his biopic, Rocketman.
And for what it’s worth, Elton John has publicly defended Eminem against claims of homophobia. “For me, Eminem was never homophobic… I’m always a supporter of people who are misunderstood and misrepresented,” he said in an interview.
Not only is Slim not homophobic in Elton’s opinion, but he is quite the gift giver. “I just adore him…” Elton once shared on the Graham Norton Show. “When David [Furnish] and I did our civil partnership, I got this package from Eminem. It shows you how homophobic he isn’t! It had two diamond-encrusted cock rings on velvet cushions. I have to say, they have remained unused!”