Eminem opens the MTV Video Music Awards with a triumphant, contemplative medley

Eminem made his grand return to the MTV Video Music Awards in dramatic fashion on Wednesday as the night's show opener.

The show started with a quick-cut montage of people dressed up like the singer, a sea of Eminem clones in black crew neck T-shirts, white sneakers, dog tags, and blonde wigs. The video quickly burst into real life, as Eminem himself led the dupes through a door into the audience, and proceeded to rush the stage.

It was a reference to the Missouri rapper's iconic performance at the 2000 VMAs, in which he led a batallion of Slim Shady clones in white T-shirts and blue jeans from the streets onto the stage. Toward the end of the first song in tonight's medley, the Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) lead single "Houdini," a spitting-image Slim Shady twin, dressed as if he'd walked back in time from the 2000 performance, joined the rapper on stage.

The raucous energy of the 'Houdini' performance saw the likes of Taylor Swift and Camilla Cabello shoot to their feet and dance. But the mood grew somber and contemplative as "Houdini" transitioned into the next single from The Death of Slim Shady, "Somebody Save Me."

Jelly Roll, who could not appear in person, was projected over the VMAs crowd onto a hanging black sphere that made him look, appropriately, like the man in moon. "Somebody save me from myself," he sang, as Eminem paced the stage. "Me from myself. I've spent so long livin' in hell."

The second half of Eminem's opener saw him commanding the stage with the same confidence he's always possessed, but with a new, more measured sense of security. He rapped to fans at the left and right flanks of the stage about his children, Hailie, Alaina, and Stevie.

Then actual home movies and photos began to play in a slideshow above the stage. As Jelly Roll began to croon the crescendo of the song, Eminem retired to an armchair placed next to the slideshow, as if stewing in his private feelings in a makeshift living room.

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It was a triumphant return for the rapper, who performed "From the D 2 The LBC" with Snoop Dogg two years ago, but hasn't opened the show since 2010.

Eminem is up for six nominations, alongside Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter, who's celebrating her first VMAs as a nominee. Leading the pack of nominees are Taylor Swift with 10 nominations, Post Malone, her "Fortnight" collaborator closely following with nine, and several other first-timers, like Tyla, Victoria Monét, Chappell Roan, and "Somebody Save Me" collaborator Jelly Roll.

Among Slim Shady's nominations is a coveted nod for Video of the Year for "Houdini." The star-studded video, which dropped in May, was full of cameos from legendary emcees like Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg. In it, Pete Davidson crashes Eminem's car and jokes, "don't worry, I just got my license back" - an allusion to his 2023 reckless driving charge.

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) was, per Eminem's signature style, loaded with controversial lyrics. From rapping about the Rust shooting, to claiming conservative pundit Candace Owens "forgot she was Black," to cheekly name-checking the OG Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire, in a song named after him.