Entertainment

Eminem is going to be a grandpa, and fans are having an existential crisis

Eminem, the prolific U.S. rapper known for hits like Lose Yourself, his former alter ego Slim Shady and for being one of the most controversial yet best-selling artists of the early 2000s, has just revealed he's going to be a grandpa.

The rapper, 51, revealed the news in a new music video for the song Temporary

A man and a woman sit on a deck, the man holds  a photo and looks shocked
In this still captured from a YouTube video posted Thursday, rapper Eminem realizes his daughter Hailey Jade, right, is pregnant. (EminemMusic/YouTube)

File this one under: "We're old."

Eminem, the prolific U.S. rapper known for hits like Lose Yourself, his former alter ego Slim Shady and for being one of the most controversial yet best-selling artists of the early 2000s, has just revealed he's going to be a grandpa.

(Cue everyone who associated Eminem's music with their youth wading into the sea).

The rapper, 51, announced his daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, is pregnant in a new music video released Thursday for the song Temporary, which is a tribute to their relationship. The video features home videos dating back to 1999 and photos of the father-daughter duo, along with videos from her May wedding.

WATCH | The music video for Temporary: 

In one clip of a recent home video, his daughter hands Eminem a jersey with the name "Grandpa" emblazoned on the back with the number one. She also hands him ultrasound photos, and he opens his mouth but the words don't come out. 

He's shocked, just like the rest of us.

On X, formerly Twitter, one fan described the announcement as every "Gen X+ Millennial #Eminem fan's current existential crisis."

"What do you mean that's Hailie? She's like eight!" X user "Reina" wrote, adding "How old am I now? Where did life go?"

"I'm not ready to be old enough for Eminem to be a grandpa," wrote a fan on X Thursday.

"The fact that Eminem is going to be a Grandpa is enough to make any millennial feel old," added another.

Even rapper 50 Cent had feelings on the matter, posting on Instagram Thursday that, "Man, the baby, is not a baby anymore."

"Man we f---ing getting old," he added.

Hailie confirms pregnancy

Eminem has always had a soft spot for his daughter, frequently mentioning her in his songs and even writing full tributes to her like Hailie's Song and Mockingbird.

On Thursday, Hailie Jade, a social media influencer, confirmed the news in an Instagram post showing an ultrasound photo.

"Mom & dad est. 2025," she captioned it.

Hailie Jade is Eminem's sole biological daughter, whom he had with his ex-wife Kim Scott. He also adopted two of Scott's daughters from previous relationships.

Temporary, from Eminem's latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), is written as a comforting message to his daughter after he dies. "I'm watchin' you right now, baby girl, I vow/I will protect you, your guardian angel," he sings on the track, which was released in July.

In July, CBC's Commotion reviewed the album and how it might redefine Eminem's legacy.

LISTEN | CBC Commotion on Eminem: 
Hip-hop artists D-Sisive and Ian Kamau, along with music critic Maura Johnston, join Elamin to discuss the pop and rap legacy of Eminem, and the controversial cultural debates the Detroit emcee has sparked over the decades.

"I think Eminem, when he was younger, was really making music for teenage boys," said hip hop artist Ian Kamau. "At the beginning it was fun, but now I'm 44 too, and I was 19 when I first heard him."

"It's one of those records that because it is this kind of man-versus-himself tale, it's very messy. It's very dexterous," said Boston-based music critic Maura Johnston.

A man in a hoodie performs on a  stage
Eminem performs during Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central on June 6 in Detroit. (Carlos Osorio/The Associated Press)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Natalie Stechyson

Senior Writer & Editor

Natalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at natalie.stechyson@cbc.ca.

With files from the Associated Press and CBC Commotion