There haven’t been many surprises when it comes to the statues being handed out at the Oscars 2020. But the audience, and viewers at home, got a big one when Eminem appeared on stage after a montage of great musical moments to perform his hit “Lose Yourself.”
For those who don’t know, “Lose Yourself” from the movie Eight Mile won Best Original Song at the 2003 Academy Awards—the first rap song ever to do so. Now, if you’re asking yourself, “Why did Eminem suddenly appear to perform this song in 2020?” you’re in excellent company.
Eminem himself gave us a clue as to why he was at the Oscars tonight on Twitter writing, “Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity… Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here.” (He wasn’t present in 2003.)
Check out the performance:
The celebs in the room also looked surprised to see Eminem—the crowd was filled with bewildered action shots (peep the looks caught on camera from Billie Eilish and Idina Menzel).
Martin Scorsese didn’t seem thrilled. Maybe that’s because “Lose Yourself” beat out U2’s “The Hands That Built America” from his movie, Gangs of New York, in 2003.
Kelly Marie Tran was loving it—and knew all the words.
Basically, it was a real mixed bag of confusion and excitement.
And, in the end, Eminem got a standing ovation from the crowd.
Everyone on Twitter had some fun with it, too. “Yes, the Eminem choice was odd, but I’d love a show where pop stars perform their biggest hits and we get to see which celebrities in the audience are into which song. Does Benedict Cumberbatch like Shake It Off? Let’s find out! #Oscars,” one person tweeted.
Just one question remains: Where was Mekhi Phifer?
