According to an unreliable-but-delightful source, Em believed only Mariah had the emotional range (and whistle notes) to portray his inner demons. The source claims: “He wanted to confuse the audience so much they’d feel what he felt growing up.” Fans joked: “So… she’s his ex, his mother, AND himself? This man invented cinematic gaslighting.”

We belong together — as mother and son.

Eminem — who starred as aspiring rapper Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith in “8 Mile,” the 2002 movie based on his own life — reportedly had a certain pop superstar in mind to play the role of his alcoholic mom, who he lives with in a trailer home.

And it was none other than Mariah Carey, according to producer Damion “Damizza” Young, who was working with the legendary singer at the time.

It all began when Eminem requested a meeting with Carey, Damizza said on the “TFU Podcast.”

“I’m not getting in the middle of that. I know how this ends,” he said.

Damizza claimed that Carey initially turned down the meeting before she heard about the movie, alleging she eventually agreed to it.

“The first thing out of [Eminem’s] mouth is, ‘I want you to play my mother,’” Damizza recalled.

But Carey, who at 56 is only four years older than Eminem, was allegedly insulted by the offer. “Her insecurities kicked in big time,” he said.

Although Carey never went on to join the cast of “8 Mile” — with the role of Eminem’s mom going to Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger — Damizza alleged that the meeting was the catalyst for the long-rumored romance between the two music icons.

“It was her chasing him, not him chasing her,” he said. “Next thing I know, we are at Eminem’s house … and they disappear. The second they went into his room, literally, I was like, ‘I’m going back to LA. There is no point of me being here.’”

“It went from business to f–king,” Damizza claimed.

While Eminem has also claimed that they dated — he even referenced Carey on the tracks “Superman” and “When the Music Stops” from 2002’s “The Eminem Show” — Carey has denied ever having a relationship with him.

That led the “We Belong Together” singer to seemingly take aim at Eminem on her 2009 hit “Obsessed.”

“Telling the world how much you miss me/But we never were, so why you tripping?” sings Carey, who also donned an Eminem-like disguise as a stalker in the music video.

Eminem responded with another track, “The Warning,” in 2009.

“Wow Mariah, didn’t expect you to go balls out/ Bitch, shut the f–k up ‘fore I put all them phone calls out,” he rapped.

These days, though, Carey has put the Eminem feud far behind her. On Friday, she dropped “Type Dangerous,” her first proper single since 2018’s “Caution.” She performed the new track on Monday night at the BET Awards, where she received the Ultimate Icon Award.

“This means so much, especially coming from BET,” Carey said. “This is my first BET Award. I mean, if you’re gonna get one, might as well start with the Ultimate Icon Award.”

She added, “It took me a while, but I finally realized life is far too short to live for anyone else’s approval, which is something I always did. So I decided to own who I am—my extra-ness, my fabulousness and, yes, my success and my iconic-ness.”