NEWSEminem's Half-Brother Nate Says He's Filled With 'Mixed Emotions' in Scathing Post After Death of His Mom Debbie
Eminem’s half-brother Nate said he had 'mixed emotions' about the death of his mom, Debbie Nelson.
Eminem’s half-brother, Nathan “Nate” Kane Mathers, didn’t hold back when addressing the death of their estranged mother, Debbie Nelson, who died at 69 years old on Monday, December 2, after a battle with cancer.
“Hatred and mixed emotions today,” Nate, 38, shared on his Instagram Story the following day.
Nate Kane Mathers and his mom, Debbie Nelson, had a turbulent relationship over the years.
While Eminem has yet to comment on their mother’s passing, Nate's post highlighted their complicated family dynamic.
After the rapper’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., abandoned the family, Debbie began a relationship with Fred Samra, who is Nate’s father, however, he was absent during Nate’s childhood. By the time he was eight years old, he was placed in foster care.
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, revealed his heartbreak over the situation in a 2004 Rolling Stone interview.
Debbie Nelson has two sons — Marshall Mathers III and Nathan Kane Mathers.
“When he was taken away, I always said if I ever get in a position to take him, I would take him,” the father-of-three shared. “I tried to apply for full custody when I was 20, but I didn’t have the means.”
He continued, “The day he was taken away, I was the only one allowed to see him. They had come and got him out of school. He didn’t know what the f--- was going on. The same thing that had happened in my life was happening in his. It was like, ‘Man, if I get in position, I’m gonna stop all this s---.’ And I got in position and did.”
Eminem has referenced his strained relationship with Debbie Nelson in several of his songs.
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Nearly a decade later, Nate, at the age of 16, was adopted by Eminem, who became a father figure to him.
The “Butterflies” singer later reflected on their brotherly bond in an interview with Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade Scott, on her “Just a Little Shady” podcast.
"Oh, yeah, I mean going off of lyrics and everything — I could see that [people thought he wouldn’t be a good dad]," he said. “He was the best role model I could have had to help me be the dad that I am today.”
The DJ, music producer and actor credited his brother with showing him the ropes in the entertainment industry.
Eminem is set to become a grandfather with the arrival of Hailie Jade Scott's baby.
“I had learned from your dad, my brother, how to do music and how to write formulas, compound syllables, whatnot, and tested it out in the beginning,” he said on the podcast.
"From there, I started looking around for beats and whatnot and got comfortable enough with my voice and writing skills that I started recording and getting a feel for songs, how I would deliver them and how that would formulate to where people would enjoy it,” he continued.
Hailie, who is currently pregnant with her first child, also shared how close she is with Nate, calling him a “bruncle” — a mix of brother and uncle.
“For those of you who may not know, Nate is my dad’s younger brother, but we kind of grew up together because he lived with us for a while when I was young,” she said. “You definitely act younger than your age. I always think we’re closer in age than you are to Dad.”
Nate, who is 14 years younger than Hailie's father, chimed in, joking, “Or a ‘funcle.’”
