“9 Warnings About Reheating Old Drama”: Inside the 20-Year Cold War Between Eminem and Mariah Carey

The long-running, often surreal feud between Eminem and Mariah Carey remains one of pop culture’s most puzzling and persistent sagas. Now, a recently resurfaced 2003 recording—reportedly capturing Eminem attempting to call Carey 24 hours before a key song’s release—has reignited debate over the feud’s origins and whether that ignored call marked the moment the relationship between the two superstars became irreparable.

While the alleged recording’s authenticity has not been publicly verified, the story adds yet another layer to one of music’s most infamous clashes—a saga that has spanned two decades, multiple albums, and one of the most recognizable diss tracks in pop history.

📞 The Ignored Call and Its Fallout

The leaked claim centers on a supposed 2003 phone call from Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) to Mariah Carey—placed a day before he released a track that many fans interpreted as referencing her. According to reports, Carey declined to respond for “personal reasons,” a decision that, in hindsight, may have cemented their eventual fallout.

The two artists’ relationship was already under intense scrutiny. Eminem had publicly claimed as early as 2002 that the pair had dated for several months, while Carey firmly denied that a romantic relationship ever took place. “We talked a few times, that’s it,” Carey said in interviews at the time, maintaining that their connection was purely professional.

The silence that followed the alleged call appears to have deepened their divide—ushering in a years-long lyrical back-and-forth that would play out on the world’s biggest stages.

🎤 The Voicemail Heard Around the World

The feud escalated dramatically during Eminem’s 2005 Anger Management Tour, when he played snippets of what he claimed were voicemails from Carey before performing his song “Puke.”

The clip—featuring a woman’s voice pleading, “Why won’t you call me?”—set off a media firestorm. Whether genuine or not, it marked a decisive shift: their disagreement had gone from rumor to public spectacle.

Carey’s musical rebuttal arrived subtly but unmistakably. On her 2002 album Charmbracelet, she included the track “Clown,” singing:

“You should’ve never intimated we were lovers / When you know very well we never even touched each other.”

It was the first clear sign that she intended to defend herself not through interviews, but through song.

💥 The Lyrical Crossfire: “Obsessed” vs. “The Warning”

By 2009, the feud reignited with full force. Mariah Carey released “Obsessed,” a sleek pop-R&B single widely interpreted as a jab at Eminem. The lyrics mocked an unseen suitor obsessed with fantasy:

“Why you so obsessed with me? Boy, I wanna know.”

The music video made the connection unmistakable—Carey played both herself and a hoodie-clad, goatee-wearing stalker resembling Eminem’s trademark style.

Eminem’s counterattack came swiftly and unapologetically in the form of “The Warning,” one of the most direct and personal diss tracks of his career. He referenced the video, mocked Carey’s denials, and threatened to release further evidence of their alleged relationship, even mentioning her then-husband, Nick Cannon.

The lyrical back-and-forth became a defining pop culture moment—equal parts tabloid theater and creative warfare.

🕊️ The Aftermath and the “Nine Warnings” of Fame

If the ignored 2003 call truly happened, it might symbolize the first of what one observer dubbed “nine warnings about reheating old drama”—a cautionary phrase now circulating online to describe how celebrity feuds, when revived, rarely cool down gracefully.

Over the years, both artists have moved on creatively. Carey remains one of the best-selling female singers of all time, while Eminem has shifted toward more introspective themes in his later work. Yet, each time a new detail surfaces—like this alleged recording—their story re-enters the public imagination.

At its heart, the Eminem–Mariah feud stands as a modern parable about ego, artistry, and the dangers of mixing personal history with pop spectacle. Two titans of their genres, trapped in a narrative neither seems eager to revisit—yet one the public never seems ready to forget.

Because in pop culture, as both artists learned, silence can sometimes speak louder than the song itself.