Hailie Jade Scott, Eminem’s 29-year-old daughter and host of the Just a Little Shady podcast, delivered an emotional gut-punch in a November 5, 2025, interview with People, declaring, “I am so incredibly proud of my father.” The rare public praise peeled back the curtain on Marshall Mathers’ most guarded role: devoted dad to the little girl who inspired some of his rawest lyrics.

Raised in the shadow of Slim Shady’s chaos—addiction, feuds, paparazzi storms—Hailie says she never felt the darkness. “The world saw a monster,” she told the mag, eyes welling up. “I saw the man who read me Goodnight Moon every night, who learned to braid my hair from YouTube tutorials, who sat front row at every school play even when he had a broken ankle from tour.”

Eminem, now 53, was a single dad by 26. His 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP—which sold 1.76 million copies in its first week—featured Hailie on the cover as a toddler. Tracks like “’97 Bonnie & Clyde” imagined protecting her at all costs; “Hailie’s Song” was a lullaby wrapped in a confession: “My baby girl keeps gettin’ older / I watch her grow up with pride.” But behind the mic, Mathers was hands-on—packing lunches, enforcing bedtimes, coaching her through heartbreak.

“He missed award shows to be at parent-teacher nights,” Hailie revealed. “When I graduated high school in 2014, he bawled harder than my mom. Said it was the proudest day of his life.” Photos from that ceremony show Eminem—hood up, sunglasses on—wiping tears as Hailie crossed the stage in her cap and gown.

The rapper legally adopted Hailie’s cousin Alaina (now 32) and Stevie (22, non-binary), Kim Scott’s child from another relationship. “He never differentiated,” Hailie said. “We were all his kids. Same rules, same love.” Eminem’s 2010 track “Going Through Changes” nodded to his sobriety for their sake: “I can’t be a deadbeat dad / I gotta be here for Hailie.”

Hailie, married to Evan McClintock since May 2024, credits her dad for her grounded life. “He taught me to work hard, stay humble, and never let fame define you.” She launched her podcast in 2022 to “set the record straight” on growing up Mathers. Episodes dissect lyrics, debunk myths, and share home videos—like Eminem teaching 5-year-old Hailie to ride a bike in their Detroit driveway.

Eminem’s kept low-key since his 2024 album The Death of Slim Shady. He skipped the VMAs to babysit Hailie’s dog. “He’s Grandpa Marshall now,” she laughed. “Spoils my pup rotten.”

Fans flooded X with tears.

“Hailie humanized Eminem in one sentence.” (52K likes)
“From ‘Stan’ to bedtime stories—wild.” (18K reposts)

Hailie ended with a message to her dad: “You did good, Dad. Real good.”

For the man who once rapped “I’m just a regular guy”—turns out, he meant it.