Like him or not, Eminem has proved to be one of the most prominent and iconic figures in the world of rap and hip hop. Despite having a tough childhood, the "Rap God" has managed to pull through, solidifying his position as one of the best ever in the industry.
Due to his rough upbringing, Eminem wasn't quite on good terms with his mother Deborah R. Nelson, which reflected in the Grammy winner's songs and the way he spoke about her, which to be fair, was extremely brutal. That's why in 1999, Deborah filed a lawsuit against the rapper for a sum of $10 million dollars.
Dark Times
Eminem's life wasn't always smooth sailing, he's been on both ends of the financial rope, which taught him to appreciate and cherish what he has right now. When Eminem was born, his father abandoned the family, which further deteriorated Deborah's mental health, and caused a lot of tension between Eminem and his mother later on. The two spent most of their days bouncing houses between Kansas City and Detroit, barely getting by.
Eminem criticized his mother about how she never worked and was always trying to illegally get money from social organizations. Moreover, the two would always get into fights and arguments, and according to Eminem, his mother would always kick him outside the house.
What he didn't find in his real mother, Eminem found in his great Aunt Edna Swartz. The rapper talks about how she was the one who raised him and gave him what Deborah couldn't. Eminem's grandmother Betty Kresin didn't agree with that as she told Daily Star in an interview: "When Marshall was a young boy, he would be dropped off at Edna's house from time to time by Debbie. But for him to say that she raised him is totally wrong. I don't know why he feels that way." Sadly, his great Aunt passed away back in 2010.
Family Reunion In Court
Back in 1999, Deborah filed a lawsuit against her son, demanding $10 million dollars for her name being slandered in his songs, and his interviews, in addition to falsely accusing her of abusing illegal substances. Deborah denied these accusations, as well as insisted that Eminem's upbringing was fine. She explained in an interview with Inside Edition: " He was spoiled rotten. Anything he wanted, I made sure that I'd take my last dime and get it for him. I mean he was my only child for fourteen years."
Eminem's lawyer Paul Rosenberg responded to the former's mother's accusations of defamation with: "Eminem's life is reflected in his music. Everything he has said can be verified as true. Truth is an absolute defense to a claim of defamation. This lawsuit does not come as a surprise to Eminem. His mother has been threatening to sue him since the success of his single My Name Is... It is merely the result of a lifelong strained relationship between him and mother. Regardless, it is still painful to be sued by your mother and therefore the lawsuit will only be dealt with through legal channels."
Needless to say, the case didn't go well for the mother. Out of the $10 million dollars Deborah initially demanded, she received $25,000, $23,354.25 of which went to her lawyer.
It's Not The First Time The Rapper Has Been Sued
This isn't Eminem's first time in a situation like that. He's been sued four other times! One of them was by his childhood bully, DeAngelo Bailey, who accused Eminem of conveying false information about the former and over-exaggerating what actually happened back in school. The description in the songs was graphical, but the judge ruled in favor of Eminem, stating that no reasonable listener would take the lyrics seriously. The judge even decided to give the ruling in a few verses of his own that he rapped in court.
Perhaps the most interesting one of the four is being sued by his ex-wife Kim, which worsened the already fractured relationship between the two. She was suing him for pretty much the same reason his mom did. The ex-wife was suing for a million dollars, in addition to demanding full custody over their daughter. After multiple intense court sessions, the court's decision was that Eminem would pay $1000 dollars a week to his ex-wife for child support and that the two would share custody.
Where Is His Mother Now
Things remained quite the same between the two following the end of the court battles. Years later, after Deborah was diagnosed with breast cancer, the tension between the two simmered down a bit.
Eminem released the song Headlights in which he sings about his past with his mom, this time in a positive way. He goes into singing about multiple things, the most important being his love for her, forgiving her, and apologizing for taking things too far.
Currently, Debbie is married to her husband John Briggs, has three grandchildren, and is living comfortably with a net worth of $700,000.