Billy Eichner, for one, was not losing himself inEminem‘s music.
For comedian Eichner, 41, however, Eminem’s showcase did not sit right, mostly because of the artist’s past use ofhomophobic slurs. Eichner, who voiced Timon in Oscar nomineeThe Lion King, called out the awards show on Twitter forincluding Eminem in the night’s lineup.
“Well, you can still sing the word ‘f—t’ a million times and still perform atthe Oscarsthat’s about ‘diversity.’ Mmkay,” Eichnertweetedduring the ceremony.
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Eminem has come under fire for his controversial lyrics in the past, with the rapper — who unveiled asurprise album last month— previously denying that he uses the slurs in a homophobic way.
In 2013, he explained toRolling Stonethat his vocabulary, including words like the one Eichner took offense to, were insults he picked up during his days in the underground rap-battling scene.
“The real me sitting here right now talking to you has no issues with gay, straight, transgender, at all,” he said at the time. “I’m glad we live in a time where it’s really starting to feel like people can live their lives and express themselves.”
One of Eminem’s defenders isElton John, who took home an Oscar on Sunday night forBest Original Song. The two friendsshared a moment backstageat the awards show, which Eminem shared on Instagram, referring to the singer as “Uncle Elton” in thecaption.
When Eminem used a slur while name-checkingGrammy winner Tyler, the Creatorin a 2018 song, hequickly apologizedamid fan backlash, saying the lyric went “too far.”
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The producers of the 2020 Oscars — a broadcast that also saw musical performances fromBillie Eilish,Idina MenzelandCynthia Erivo, among others — said they reached out to Eminem about being featured in the segment about music’s “impact.”
“We’ve been holding onto it for a while,” co-producer Lynette Howell Taylortold PEOPLE. “It was nice that we surprised people — we don’t usually get to surprise anybody in this day and age.”
Eminem skippedthe Oscarsthe year that he won for “Lose Yourself,” with presenterBarbra Streisandinstead handing the statuette to co-writer Luis Resto in his absence.
Fast forward 18 years later, Eminemposted a clipof Streisand announcing the song at the 2003 Oscars, taking the opportunity to thank the Academy for having him perform on Sunday.
“Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity… Thanks for having me @theacademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here,” hewroteon Instagram.
source: people.com
