Eminem’s Ex-Wife Kim Scott Allegedly Hospitalized After Suicide Attempt — Details Of Her Traumatic Past
If true, this was her third attempt.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock According to newly emerged reports, Eminem’s ex-wife Kimberly Anne "Kim" Scott (formerly Kim Mathers) was hospitalized following an alleged suicide at her Michigan home on July 30.
TMZ reported that police and emergency services responded to a call and found Scott, 46, with lacerations on her legs.
Their sources say she was taken to a local hospital for medical and psychological evaluation and is now recovering at home.
Though Eminem’s lyrics have often been painted Scott as a troubled mother and cheating wife, a look into her life reveals a heartbreaking past that may explain her difficulties in the spotlight.
What happened to Eminem’s ex-wife, Kim Scott?
Scott’s most recent suicide attempt comes after years of mental health and substance abuse issues that plagued her before, during and after her relationship with Eminem.
After running away from home, Scott moved in with Eminem and his mother when she was 13.
According to Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, Scott moved into the Detroit trailer she shared with her then 15-year-old son, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, after she and her twin sister, Dawn, ran away to escape a troubled home life.
In her memoir titled "My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem," Debbie shared that Kim, who met Eminem at a house party when she was 13 and he was 15, "had no idea who their real father was, and claimed to have been sexually abused by her stepfather."
Kim became a mother to Hailie Jade Scott Mathers when she was 20.
Scott gave birth to the couple’s daughter Hailie Jade Scott Mathers on December 25, 1995.
Eminem and Scott had been switching between living with his mother, who he claims was abusing drugs, and other crime-ridden neighbourhoods.
Hailie's early years were spent in poverty as Eminem and Scott struggled to support their young family.
Kim and Eminem were married (for the first time) in 1999, only to separate in 2000 and officially divorce (for the first time) in 2001.
Eminem rapped about his fantasies of killing Kim Scott in multiple songs.
As Eminem’s career began to take off, his rocky relationship with Scott became part of rap legend.
Troubling aspects of their marriage are featured in the lyrics of his 1999 song “97 Bonnie & Clyde,” which details his disturbed fantasy in which he disposes of Scott’s body in a lake — with daughter Hailie along for the ride.
“I lied to Kim and told her I was taking Hailie to Chuck E. Cheese that day,” Eminem said of making the song. “But I took her to the studio. When she found out I used our daughter to write a song about killing her, she f—ing blew.”
Scott’s reaction obviously wasn’t enough to stop Eminem from putting more violent thoughts to music, as he later released controversial track called “Kim” — among multiple other songs in which he insults, threatens and/or mocks her.
Scott has said she attempted suicide after one of Eminem's performances of "Kim."
During a live performance of “Kim” — the lyrics of which order Scott to “bleed, b*tch, bleed” — Eminem punched a nude blow-up doll made to look like his wife.
Scott, who attended the concert, told Dr. Keith Ablow and the audience of his talk show, that she went home and attempted suicide that night.
"He had a blow-up doll up on stage that looked like me and he was physically beating it and kicking it around and... threw it out to the crowd," she said. "And just seeing the crowd response and everybody cheering, singing the words and laughing, it just felt like you know everyone was staring at me and knew that it was about me. And that night I went home and I tried to commit suicide."
Soon after, Eminem reportedly caught Scott cheating on him and the pair divorced.
During their separation, Scott had a child, Whitney Scott Mathers, with ex-boyfriend Eric Hartter, whom Eminem later adopted when the pair reconciled.
The two were married for a second time in January 2006, though Eminem filed for divorce just three months later.
Scott's son Parker is believed to be the son of a man named Mick Parker. Little is known about him.
Scott attempted suicide again by crashing her car in 2015.
In 2016, Scott admitted to the hosts of a Detroit radio show that her 2015 DUI was actually a suicide attempt.
“Yes, I drank, I took pills and I hit the gas and aimed for a pole.” she said of the crash. By this time, Scott had been battling depression and addiction for several decades.
“I did this on purpose, and I’m so sorry. I never lied to (first responders). I told them everything that I did,” she said on air, adding, “I didn’t expect to make it out alive.”
Though no longer in a high-profile relationship, the lasting impacts of fame sit with Scott.
As life coach Keya Murthy explains, “When a person has endured trauma as Ms. Scott has, every upset adds to the past trauma, burdens her emotionally, and amplifies her trauma. To this let’s add her fame, and her trauma gets magnified out of proportion because so many are talking about it.”
Scott’s sister Dawn died of an overdose in 2016.
The following year, tragedy struck again as Scott’s twin sister Dawn died of a heroin overdose. In her obituary, Scott wrote, “Half of me is gone.”
Eminem and Kim took in Alaina Scott, also known as Alaina Marie Mathers, Dawn's biological daughter.
In the years that followed, Scott stayed out of the public eye for the most part.
Her daughters post no images of her online and Eminem made only a brief mention of her in his 2017 apology song, "Bad Husband."
Scott’s troubled past has likely been compounded by the media attention that follows her.
“When a person is dealing with their trauma, it’s traumatic but in private. Celebrities live in metaphorical glasshouses and nothing is private anymore,” Murthy explains.
“Whatever happens in their life magnifies in the lens of their fame — the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.