Eminem’s Surprise Oscars Debut — How Did He Keep It a Secret?

Rapper Eminem made a surprise appearance at the 2020 Oscars, where he performed his 2002 Oscar-winning song “Lose Yourself.”

After a montage, Eminem came out to perform his hit song from the film “8 Mile” to the crowd's astonishment. The producers were forced to bleep out some of his performance due to the explicit language.

According to Variety, Eminem's Oscar surprise was a tightly kept secret, with the Dolby Theatre being kept on major lockdown during rehearsals.

Sources claim that the 47-year-old had the option of canceling on the performance if the news leaked.

Once Eminem was finished, he received a standing ovation from big names, including Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Billie Eilish. It was also his first time at the show.

Following the performance, Eminem tweeted, "Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity... Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here."

It has been reported that Eminem refused to perform a censored version of the song at the 2003 Oscars, which he didn't even attend. When the song won, co-writer Luis Resto accepted on his behalf.

More than 10 years later, Eminem explained why he skipped the show, saying, “I was sleeping that night, I just felt like I had no chance of winning because when I heard I was nominated, I thought that was for actors. I just didn't know what awards meant. This particular award, I didn't go… I just felt like I had a snowball's chance in Hell.”

The Oscars are known for having Best Original Song nominees perform at the show. Last year, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper had everyone talking about their song from “A Star Is Born.”

See the reactions to Eminem's performance below!