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Eminem surprised some stans for his documentary’s premiere.
On Wednesday, Aug. 6, the rapper stopped by the New York City premiere of his documentary Stans and surprised the audience at The Rooftop at Pier 17.
Eminem, 52, helped launch the term “stan” into the lexicon, which is “an overzealous or obsessive fan, esp. of a particular celebrity.” He sang about these fans who take things too far with the song and music video for “Stan.”
The word was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2019.
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
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A TikTok shared by a fan featured the rapper, whose full name is Marshall Mathers, thanking the audience for their support through the years before the screening began. “This film was a thank you to all of you,” Eminem said.
“This is my thank you to all of you for sticking by me for this whole f—ing time. Through all my bulls—, through all my mediocre s—, the good s—, the bad s—, —all of it. I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
He also posted about the well-attended event on Instagram, thanking fans once again.
Actor Devon Sawa, the original stan who starred in the “Stan” music video, also attended the event, bringing his own son, 11-year-old Hudson, to meet the rapper. “25 years ago I worked with one of the greatest musicians of all time. Today he met my son. What a ride,” he captioned the photo.
Over a year before its premiere, Eminem asked his fanbase to fill out a questionnaire about their fandom for potential participation in the documentary.
Questions included: “Has Eminem or his music helped you through difficult times?,” “Have you ever met Eminem?” and “Do you collect Eminem merch, make Eminem artwork, write fan fiction, etc.?”
Directed by Steven Leckart, the documentary focuses on the “complicated relationship between one of the world’s most private artists and his massive public persona,” a synopsis for the film states.
“Through stylized recreations, rare archival footage, intimate interviews, and an exclusive original interview with Eminem himself, it offers a raw, loud, and revealing journey across his career — and the passionate audience that has grown with him.”
Shady Films
The movie made its world premiere in London this June at the first-ever London edition of the SXSW festival, where many Eminem stans dressed up as the OG stan with white tank tops and bleached-blond hair.
Stans will be in AMC Theatres from Thursday, Aug. 7 to Sunday, Aug. 10. The documentary will be available to stream internationally later this year on Paramount+.
