Kathy Griffin Asked for $10K to Be in Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” Video and Got It

The comedian says starring in Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” video was worth every minute.

More than 20 years later, Kathy Griffin is still proud of her role in Eminem’s unforgettable “The Real Slim Shady” video, and now she’s letting fans in on the full story, from money talk to how Snoop Dogg helped seal the deal.

Appearing on her YouTube series Talk Your Head Off, Kathy revealed that she was initially offered “500 bucks or something” to play the nurse who lip-syncs Eminem’s iconic opening line: “Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?”

“I was like, ‘I’m an actress. What do I care about being in a music video?” she recalled. Instead of walking away, she asked for $10,000, and to her surprise, they said yes.

Directed by F. Gary Gray and Dr. Dre, the 2000 video included scenes of Griffin playfully “roughing up” Eminem, who she says introduced himself simply as “Marshall” and was “very professional and very nice”.

Even more surprising was how she got cast: according to Griffin, Dr. Dre told her, “Snoop said you’re funny.” She’d done a set with Snoop before and remembered him as someone who liked to joke around.

It all adds up to one of the most memorable cameos in Eminem’s videography, and a favourite memory for Kathy. “I’m very proud to be in The Real Slim Shady music video”, she said. “You guys, I was such a bitch”.