If we were asked to name two celebrities we thought were least likely to be best friends, Elton John and Eminem might come to mind. Joke’s on us, though, because the two are actually major BFFs, and have been ever since they performed together at the 2001 Grammys. A new joint interview they just did proves their bromance is as strong as any.
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In a conversation published by Interview magazine, John and Eminem chat about Eminem’s upcoming album, Revival. The collaborations on the album bring up the collaboration they did together, which was the start of their friendship. This exchange early on in the interview really shows just how much these two care about each other.
JOHN: You’re very good on collaborations. We first met through the Grammys, when you asked me to do “Stan.” It was an amazing event for me that I’ll never forget.
EMINEM: I’ll never forget it either — and I was on drugs.
JOHN: You were on drugs?
EMINEM: Oh, I was for sure on drugs when we met.
JOHN: I couldn’t tell. I was just mesmerized by you and your performance; it made the hairs on the back of my arms stand up. It was like seeing Mick Jagger for the first time. I hadn’t really been exposed to that kind of rap in live performance before, and it was electrifying. And when that shit was thrown at you — about you being homophobic — I just thought, “I’m not standing for this. It’s nonsense.” I had to stand up and defend you. That Grammy performance was the start of a lovely friendship and I’m grateful for that.
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They also talk about one thing they share: their sobriety after being longtime drug users. John went to rehab in 1990, and Eminem went in 2008.
“Your sobriety day is in my diary. I’m so proud of you,” John said in one particularly touching moment. “I’m 27 years clean, and when you get clean, you see things in a different way. It makes your life so much more manageable. It seems to have made all the difference — I can tell when I speak to you.”
They talk about everything from the progression of their careers to touring to what artists they think are great right now, and through the whole interview, there’s this undercurrent of the true love and caring they have for each other. This friendship we never would have thought would exist is clearly very real and very deep.
They close the interview with John telling Eminem once again how proud he is of his career and his growth.
“I’m so happy you exist in the world, and I’m just so proud of you,” he says. “You’ve worked so hard on yourself, and no one deserves this more than you, Marshall, and I love you from a long way away, OK?”
Eminem replies, “Thank you, Elton. I love you, too.”
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And now we know, in all our friendships, we should be aspiring to be just like the unlikeliest pair: Elton John and Eminem.
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