Eminem made history when 'Lose Yourself' won an Oscar in 2003, but he wasn't there to accept it. What was he doing?

He Was Home When the Oscar Was Announced

Eminem missed the 2003 Academy Awards because he did not expect “Lose Yourself” to win. He later explained that he had stayed home with his daughter rather than attend the ceremony. Reports at the time said he was asleep when the song’s name was called; he was not backstage or waiting nearby to accept the prize.

Why He Didn’t Think He’d Win

The win was a surprise in more than one sense. “Lose Yourself,” written for 8 Mile, became the first hip-hop song to win the Oscar for best original song. Eminem later said he had not thought a rapper winning the award was a realistic possibility, so he saw little reason to go to the ceremony.

That decision meant the Academy had to accept the award in his absence. Co-writer Luis Resto went onstage to receive it, while Eminem’s historic win unfolded without him in the room. Years later, Eminem did perform “Lose Yourself” at the Oscars—turning the song he had once expected to lose into a moment he finally shared with the ceremony.