Does Eminem's suicide music video go too far?

Eminem's video for his new single "Space Bound" features a graphic suicide scene.

(Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

The video: Eminem is no stranger to controversy, especially when it comes to his music videos. In 2000, his "Stan" video caused a stir for depicting an enraged superfan who abuses his pregnant wife, throws her in a trunk, and drives drunk off of a bridge. His video for "Love the Way You Lie," a duet with Rihanna, stirred debate for "glorifying domestic violence." The rapper's latest music video, for his new single "Space Bound," is back in familiar territory, criticized for being "too violent" and "too graphic." In the video, Eminem discovers that his girlfriend, played by porn star Sasha Grey, is cheating on him. In one scene, he begins choking her until she suddenly disappears. Distraught, he then points a gun to his chin and pulls the trigger, with the resulting "gruesome" spray of blood and brains not only shown, but shown from many angles. (Watch the video below.)

The reaction: With this "inappropriate" video, Eminem "crosses the line — again," says David Caplan at Hollywood Life. The video is "disturbing," says Kathleen Perricone at the New York Daily News, which makes it confusing why MTV and BET haven't outright banned it. It is telling, however, that they have "yet to air it," too. Still, we should be grateful for this new, grown-up Eminem, says Kyle Anderson at Entertainment Weekly. There's "nary a scene of Mr. Mathers dressing up like a washed up celebrity in sight," showing a "level of maturity that matches the overall energy" of his latest album. Judge for yourself: