What looked like a simple awkward moment on MTV’s TRL turned out to be the beginning of one of the most underrated celebrity feuds in pop culture history. Eminem and Mark Wahlberg – two white boys from tough backgrounds who made it big – didn’t just clash once. They traded shots, interviews, and subliminal disses for almost 10 years straight, all starting with an insult, a handshake, and one very tense TV appearance.
Mark Wahlberg: The Rapper With a Dark Past
Before he became the A-list Hollywood actor we know today, Mark Wahlberg was Marky Mark, frontman of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. In the early ‘90s, his hit “Good Vibrations” shot to #1, and his Calvin Klein ads made him a pop icon. But behind the fame was a deeply troubled past.
At just 13, Mark was addicted to cocaine. He also carried out multiple racially charged attacks — including a brutal 1988 assault on two Vietnamese men that landed him in jail. Despite this, by 1991, he was topping charts and trying to bury his criminal past behind stardom and modeling gigs.
Wahlberg eventually left music in the late ’90s, hoping to be known only as Mark Wahlberg the actor — not the rapper with a rap sheet.
Eminem Takes a Shot… And It Gets Personal
In 1999, Eminem had just signed with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records and was making waves with his wild lyrics and slimy alter ego. During a freestyle, he referenced Wahlberg’s 1997 film Boogie Nights, mocking Mark’s infamous porn-star character with the line:
“Call me Boogie Night with a dick bigger than Mark Wahlberg.”
A few months later, both Mark and Eminem ended up on TRL the same day. That’s when things exploded.
Eminem cracked a joke about “standing around like one big fun bunch” — a direct jab at Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Wahlberg muttered insults under his breath, visibly annoyed. When host Carson Daly congratulated Eminem on his album, Mark sarcastically asked,
“Oh, you got an album out?”
Eminem later unleashed in a Rolling Stone interview, calling Mark every name in the book:
“Marky Mark effing ass bastard prick… fat f***… little queer… I wasn’t even gonna say sh**, then he acted like a bitch.”
That wasn’t the end.
Shots Fired in the Music
In Drug Ballad off 2000’s The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem delivered the line:
“Back when Mark Wahlberg was Marky Mark…”
…followed by a whispered homophobic slur.
Then on Marshall Mathers, Eminem attacked Donnie Wahlberg and New Kids on the Block:
“Boy bands make me sick…”
It wasn’t just lyrical either. Behind the scenes, MTV insiders reported tension every time Mark and Eminem were booked for the same events.
Wahlberg’s Cold Comeback
For a while, Wahlberg stayed silent. But in 2005, during an interview with Details Magazine, he mocked Eminem’s life and 8 Mile’s authenticity:
“My childhood wasn’t like some 8 Mile bulls***… If I make a film about my upbringing, it’s gonna be about more than a f***ing rap battle.”
Eminem didn’t respond. Why? He was deep in one of the darkest periods of his life — battling addiction, the loss of his best friend Proof, and a near-fatal overdose.
From Enemies to… Frenemies?
By 2009, things started to thaw. Wahlberg appeared on Eminem’s Shade 45 and even said he’d considered Eminem for a role in The Fighter. Around the same time, Eminem admitted in Spin Magazine that he had watched Boogie Nights over 150 times while getting clean.
In 2015, Eminem even gifted Mark a pair of his exclusive Nike Jordan x Carhartt sneakers. Mark wore them proudly — a low-key olive branch.
Still, the tension wasn’t fully gone. In 2013, Mark claimed he was “the best white rapper turned actor,” subtly dissing Eminem again:
“Eminem did a great job in 8 Mile, but he only made one movie…”
In 2017, Eminem sampled Boogie Nights for his song “Heat” — yet another wink at Wahlberg’s past.
Finally, in a GQ video, Wahlberg came clean about the whole thing:
“I didn’t give him credit for a long time. I was a hater. He was a better rapper than me. I’ll admit it.”
That marked the real end of their beef — a 10-year cycle of ego, envy, and grudging respect.
A Truce… and a Legacy
By 2020, Eminem publicly named Mark as one of his favorite actors. From MTV shade to mutual admiration, their story proves that even the fiercest grudges can cool off — eventually.
But one thing’s clear: Eminem never forgot Boogie Nights.
