Eminem Surprises Fans During NY Premiere of ‘Stans’ Documentary

The real Slim Shady did stand up! Eminem, the rap and lyrical wizard of our generation, pulled off a mic-drop-level surprise at the New York City premiere of Stans. This new documentary explores the wild and wonderful world of his devoted fan base. No one saw it coming, although we expect nothing less from one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time.  

Billboard reported about the surprise pulled off by the “Lose Yourself” rapper. Eminem dropped by unannounced during the Stans' NY premiere. The rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, addressed his fans at The Rooftop at Pier 17, “Let me tell you why this s–t is crazy to me. Because when I was writing the song ‘Stan,’ I think I was just understanding the impact that my music was having on some people. And it’s so crazy to me to look at, over my career, just the fact that I was able to impact people.”  

Fans kept interrupting him, shouting, “I love you,” so he needed to pause and respond, “I love you too. I’m trying to think of what the f–k I’m saying here… When I was writing this song, I didn’t understand the impact my music was having on people at the time, and it was really surreal to me, and it’s still surreal to this day to look out here and see all of you and the fact that my music has inspired you. This film is a thank you to all of you for sticking by me for this whole f–king time… I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”  

Devon Sawa, who appeared as Eminem’s obsessed fan in the “Stan” music video 25 years ago, hosted a Stan look-alike contest in New York City. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Sawa shared what it’s like to work with the rapper: “He was there [on set]. He did the scene where he comes out in the cold. He does the [meet and greet at the] table, and then his bus stop [writing the letter] was separately, so we didn't have a lot together. But I remember him being focused and just there to work. He was there to work - that's what I remember.”  

He also recounted how he initially thought that he didn’t look like the rapper: “I didn't feel that, but when we got on set together, they cut my hair, they bleached it.” He added, “We did this one scene in the mirror, and they were having a hard time telling who was who. We were pretty close back then [looks-wise].”  

He also shared how surreal it was to be part of a music video that is still renowned to this date: “I never, in a million years, thought we'd be shooting [a music video] that has lasted this long, and never mind, has created a word ["Stan"] for the dictionary. It's very weird.”