Who is Nelson Mathers?
Deborah R.Nelson Mathers, famously known as Nelson Mathers is a popular author and the mother of worldwide famous rapper Eminem Mathers.
She is renowned for her book title My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem in which she wrote about her life and relationship with her son Eminem.
Deborah was famous before releasing her book but for not the right reasons.
In the late 90s, Eminem wrote a song with lyrics that deliberately accuse Deborah of being abusive towards him and his brother Nathan.
However, Deborah talked about how everything Eminem said in the song was a lie and sued him for defamation in 2000 in her book.
Today, you will get to know about Nelson Mathers’ age, height, relationship, career, net worth, and even more in this article.
So, keep on reading!!
Quick Biography
| Real Name | Deborah Rae Nelson Mathers |
| Nick Name | Debbie |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of Birth | January 6, 1955 |
| Birth Place | St.Joseph, Missouri, USA |
| Age | 66 years old |
| Birth Sign | Virgo |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Profession | Author |
| Height (approx.) | 5’6 or 168 cm |
| Weight (approx.) | 55 kg or 121 pounds |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | Hazel |
| Father | Bon Nelson |
| Mother | Betty Hixson |
| Sibling | Steven Nelson, Todd Nelson, Betty Renee, and Ronnie Polkinghorn |
| Spouse | John Briggs |
| Children | Marshall Bruce Mathers, Nathan Kane Mathers |
| Net Worth | $700,000 |
| Profiles | N/A |
Early Life
Where was Deborah Nelson Mathers born? Deborah Nelson Mathers was born in St.Joseph, Missouri, USA.
She had a difficult childhood and had to face many hardships when she was just a kid. All happened due to her parents’ unhappy marriage.
Her parents divorced when she was very young and her mother Betty Hixson allegedly got remarried.
Deborah’s hardships didn’t end there, her stepfather was abusive towards her and her mother. Her mother even tried taking her life several times.
Unfortunately, Deborah also lost her two brothers Steven and Ronnie to suicide.
Deborah studied at Lancaster High school, but later she quit school to get married to her first husband Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr.
She and Bruce were also in the band Daddy Warbucks and they played in various places in Midwest.
At the age of 15, she gave birth to her first child, a famous rapper, Eminem Mathers.
After her first husband Bruce left her and her child when Eminem was just 6 months, she got remarried to her second husband Fred Samara.
However, Fred also abandoned her with her second child Nathan Kane Samara.
Now, let’s look at the beginning of Deborah’s career and her achievements so far.
Career
What is Deborah famous for? Deborah is the mother of world-famous rapper Eminem Mathers.
Song
Deborah came to highlight after Eminem wrote about her being abusive towards him and his brother Nathan during their childhood in his song.
Eminem has sung about how she abused him and his brother Nathan and fed them drugs despite their young age.
After the release of the song, the relationship between Deborah and Eminem got worse and she left Eminem and Nathan to live alone.
Then, when Eminem got famous, she later sued him for defamation of her through his song in 2000.
However, she got only $1600 compensation even though she demanded $10 million.
Author
In 2008, Deborah again came into the limelight after she published her book My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem.
The British author Annette Witheridge helped her with the book and the book sold over 10,000 copies in September of 2008.
She had written everything about her struggles with raising two kids without any support and how everything Eminem wrote in the song was a lie.
Also, she claimed in an interview with Village Voice that she had supported Eminem throughout his career and hardships.
Nelson’s main aim seemed to be telling her part of the story to the world and remove all the allegations she got after the release of the song.
However, Nelson was also sued after her book got released.
A man named Neal Alpert sued her for not giving 25 percent of the profit according to the contract as he allegedly helped her with the book.
Besides all the controversies, Nelson did have a hard life and had to battle cancer for several years.
As for talking about the present, Nelson and her son have kept everything aside and bettered their relationship.
Eminem has also apologized for all of the ill talking about her and forgave her for everything.
Not only that, but he also wrote a song named Highlights about apologizing to her for his disrespectful behavior.
As of 2024, Deborah is happily married to her husband John Briggs and owns a taxi service in Missouri.
Personal Information
How tall is Nelson Mathers? Deborah Nelson Mathers stands at a height of 5 feet 6 inches or 168 cm and weighs about 55 kg or 121 pounds.
Her zodiac sign is Virgo. She has Hazel-colored eyes and blonde hair.
As for her nationality, she is an American and white by her ethnicity.
Regarding her religion, she believes in Jesus Christ and follows Christianity.
Her hobbies include reading books, writing poems, and charity works and services.
Deborah suffers from a mental illness named Munchausen Syndrome which causes the patient to act as an ill person for attention.
Relationship
Who is Deborah Nelson Mathers married to? Deborah Nelson Mathers is currently to her current husband John Briggs.
Before John, she was married thrice. At the age of 15, she married her first husband Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. with whom she has a son Eminem.
However, he abandoned her and Eminem when Eminem was just six months.
In 2019, Bruce reportedly died at the age of 67 after suffering from a heart attack at his home in Indiana.
Both Eminem and his father Bruce had a bitter relationship throughout their life.
Bruce did feel sorry and regretted his decision but Eminem never met him and considered him a father figure.
Eminem dissed him in most of his songs as he never could fathom his father’s choice to abandon him when he was just a toddler.
However, Eminem in his song Leaving Heavens sang about how his death has affected him and tormented him all his life.
After that, she was shortly married to Berger Olsen Au Gres and broke up due to her mental illness.
Then, she met her second husband Fred Samara when Eminem was 15 years old.
Unfortunately, he also left her with her second child Nathan Kane Samara.
As of the present, she is happily married to John Briggs and runs a taxi service with him in Missouri.
Talking about her grandchildren, she has three of them currently.
Nelson Mathers Family
Who are Deborah Nelson’s parents? Deborah Nelson Mathers was born to her parents Bon Nelson and Betty Hixson.
Her parents didn’t have a happy marriage and deliberately divorced when Deborah was a kid.
She started to stay with her mother and her stepdad after her mom got remarried.
However, her stepdad was abusive towards her and her mother which caused her mom to be suicidal.
Deborah had four siblings named Steven Nelson, Todd Nelson, Betty Renee, and Ronnie Polkinghorn.
Her brother Steven survived a stroke and works as a businessman currently and her stepbrother Ronnie Polkinghorn committed suicide.
Her Todd had to go to jail after killing his brother-in-law. As of 2024, he is working as a spokesperson in the jail to talk about mishaps in jail.
As for her stepsister Betty, she works as a housekeeper in Eminem’s mansion.
Nelson Mathers Net Worth
What is the net worth of Nelson Mathers? Nelson Mathers is a famous author and businesswoman.
She is renowned as the mother of the famous rapper Eminem.
Nelson earns the majority of her income from her taxi business and the financial advice she provides to people.
As of 2024, her net worth is estimated to be $700,000 approximately.
Let’s know some of the unknown facts about Nelson Mathers.
Nelson Mathers Trivia
- Deborah Nelson Mathers was born in St.Joseph, Missouri, USA.
- She is the mother of worldwide famous music artist Eminem Mathers.
- In 2008, she sued her own son Eminem for defamation asking for $10 million compensation.
- Deborah is currently married to John Briggs.
- Deborah is suffering from a mental illness named Munchausen Syndrome since her childhood.
FAQs
Has Eminem made up with his mom?
Currently, Eminem and his mom Nelson Mathers have bettered their relationship. Eminem did apologize for his behavior in his song Highlights in 2013.
What happened to Eminem’s mom?
There were headlines in 2010 that Eminem’s mother Nelson Mathers passed away due to cancer.
However, it was announced false and the one who died was his great aunt Edna Swartz.
Video
Check out the video of Eminem’s song Highlights about his mom Deborah Nelson Mathers down below:
