Eminem subtly reacts to mom Debbie’s death during Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix performance

Eminem seemingly paid subtle homage to his late mother, Debbie Nelson, during a performance on Saturday.

The record producer rapped “Without Me” at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix five days after his mom’s death at age 69.

The song, notably, includes the line, “F–k Debbie.”

Eminem in August 2024 performance
Eminem seemingly reacted to his mom Debbie Nelson’s death in a performance.Anadolu via Getty Images
Eminem at October 2024 performance
The rapper sang “Without Me” at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix on Saturday.ZUMAPRESS.com

While many of the Grammy winner’s fans yelled the expletive while singing along, Eminem remained noticeably silent.

Besides this omission, the songwriter has yet to publicly comment on Nelson’s passing since news broke last week.

The mother-son duo infamously had a contentious relationship, which Eminem demonstrated in many releases over the years.

Debbie Nelson in September 2005
The song has a “F–k Debbie” line.Getty Images
Eminem at February 2020 Oscars
Eminem neglected to sing the line despite his fans doing so.ABC via Getty Images

In addition to “Without Me,” Nelson is referenced in “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.”

In the 2002 song, Eminem claimed he witnessed his mother “poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen” and referred to himself as a “victim of Münchausen’s Syndrome … made to believe [he] was sick.”

Eminem, whose birth name is Marshall Mathers, subsequently lost a defamation lawsuit to his mom over the song.

Debbie Nelson in January 2001
Nelson died at age 69 on Dec. 2.ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
Debbie Nelson in September 2005
She lost her battle to advanced lung cancer.Getty Images

In 2015, the Oscar winner released “Headlights” and acknowledged he had “hurt” her the “worst” with what he wrote in his music.

It is unclear where the pair stood before Nelson lost her battle to advanced lung cancer.

She did hint at a reconciliation in 2008 while speaking to the Village Voice.

Eminem, brother Nate and mom Debbie Nelson
Nelson was the mother of Eminem and his half-brother, Nate.Getty Images
Debbie Nelson in April 2021
Nate wrote via Instagram that he felt “hatred and mixed emotions” after Nelson’s passing.Getty Images

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“I’m not ever gonna give up on my kids,” Nelson said at the time. “There’s hope for everybody. It’s a matter of just basically swallowing your pride.”

Her other son, Nathan “Nate” Kane Mathers, reacted to Nelson’s Dec. 2 death with a scathing Instagram Story post.

The 38-year-old wrote that he was experiencing “hatred and mixed emotions.”

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