If you were taken aback after Eminem, 47, jumped onto the Academy Awards stage on Feb. 9, it looked like the Oscar attendees were too. The rapper’s on-stage appearance wasn’t announced ahead of the award show, and so when he launched into a performance of “Lose Yourself,” some of the celebrity guests looked lost themselves. Most notable were the expressions on Idina Menzel and Billie Eilish’s faces (ironically, they were both non-surprise performers as well).
Idina’s face was scrunched into that classic, “Huh?” look. Billie appeared half puzzled, yet half amused — her brother Finneas appeared to be going through the same range of emotions. They weren’t the only stars to be thrown off by this Oscars cameo; even Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese, director of Goodfellas and The Irishman, had an inscrutable look on his face.
All of these candid reactions made for great comedic material on Twitter. “Why is eminem performing?? what is the connection. is it just to give us reaction shots of Scorsese reconsidering the life choices he’s made that led him here,” one viewer tweeted, while another fan could empathize: “Billie Eilish and Idina Menzel’s reaction to Eminem is all of us rn #Oscars.”
Billie Eilish and Idina Menzel is everyone wondering why Eminem is performing at the #Oscars. pic.twitter.com/voginNZgW3
— Underbaked GingerBRAD Boy (@bradwhipple) February 10, 2020
The crowd reactions to Eminem's Oscars performance is amazing 😂pic.twitter.com/oHIF0WO1pk
— SI Extra Mustard (@SI_ExtraMustard) February 10, 2020
Regardless, Eminem still got a standing ovation after the end of his performance, from Billie and Idina included! And Eminem wasn’t just put on the stage for shock factor. He was actually putting on the show that Oscars viewers were expecting 17 years ago!
In 2003, Eminem became the first ever hip hop artist to win an Oscar, after nabbing the honor for “Best Original Song” for his track, Lose Yourself, that was featured in Eminem’s biopic, 8 Mile. “Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity… Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here,” Eminem tweeted. That should clear up any confusion!