Eminem Says He ‘Cried’ Because He Missed Daughter Hailie’s Recital After His 2007 Overdose

Eminem has opened up about a pivotal moment in his life.

In 2007, the rapper behind hits like “Mockingbird” suffered a near-fatal overdose, a harrowing experience he discusses in his new documentary, STANS, which premiered in theaters on Thursday, Aug. 7.

“I got into this vicious cycle of, ‘I’m depressed so I need more pills,’ and then your tolerance gets so high you end up overdosing,” Eminem, 52, shares in the film.

He adds, “I woke up in the hospital and I didn’t know how the f— it happened. It felt like I fell asleep and then woke up with tubes in me and s—. I wanted to get up, but I couldn’t move. After the overdose, I came home thinking, ‘Yo, bro, I need something.’”

The “Without Me” rapper recalls the overwhelming feeling that he might die if he didn’t make a change — but the turning point came when he missed an important event with his daughter, Hailie Jade McClintock.

“They showed me a video because I missed Hailie’s first guitar recital,” he says of his daughter, who is now 29.

“The guilt I felt was intense — I cried when I saw it because I was like, ‘Oh my God, I missed that.’”

That moment forced Eminem to ask himself, “Do you want to miss everything? If you can’t do it for yourself… then at least do it for them.”

Eminem has been sober since April 2008 and recorded his 2009 album Relapse during the early phase of his recovery.

In April 2024, he marked 16 years of sobriety with a post on Instagram, sharing a photo of a chip symbolizing his achievement.

During a 2022 interview on Paul Rosenberg’s Paul Pod podcast, Eminem reflected on the overdose, calling it a wake-up call that motivated him to get clean after taking as many as 20 pills a day.

“I remember when I first got sober and all the s— was out of my system. I was just really happy, and everything felt new to me again,” he said.

STANS, named after his 2000 hit, explores “the complicated relationship between one of the world’s most private artists and his massive public persona,” according to the synopsis.

The documentary uses stylized recreations, rare archival footage, intimate interviews, and an exclusive interview with Eminem to provide a raw and revealing look at his career — and the passionate fans who have grown alongside him.

Featuring a “highly curated cast of real-life stans” with deep personal connections to Eminem and his music, the film was directed by Steven Leckart.

STANS will be showing in AMC Theatres from Thursday, Aug. 7 through Sunday, Aug. 10, and will be available internationally on Paramount+ later this year.