Eminem has been candid about battling drug addiction in cover stories in XXL and Vibe. Now, in an interview with Detroit's Metro Times, the rapper reveals what pop star helped him cope during his rehab.

"I talk to Elton [John] a lot. We became friends, and I talk to him about things, career-wise," Eminem said. "And he had a substance-abuse problem in the past. So when I first wanted to get sober, I called him and spoke to him about it, because, you know, he's somebody who's in the business and can identify and relate to the lifestyle and how hectic things can be. He understands, like, the pressure and any other reasons that you wanna come up with for doing drugs.

"Me and him have had similar lives and stuff," Em continued. "So I reached out to him and told him, 'Look, I'm going through a problem, and I need your advice.' I also talked to T.I. a lot and, you know, we exchange advice."

Eminem offered a candid take on the recent events in his life. Although he faced a litany of challenges since his last solo album, from his addiction to the passing of his friend Proof, Em didn't deliver one big sob story. He was funny, of course, but also conflicted during the conversation.

About Bill O'Reilly, the conservative talking head who lashed out against Em's "We Made You" video, the rapper said, "Um, well, that guy's a turd. I don't know of a better way to put it than to just say he's a turd."

Em was surprisingly open about his decision to dis Jessica Simpson in "We Made You." His own weight gain wasn't the reason he showed some compassion, however. Turns out Slim Shady is a Cowboys fan and he didn't want to upset Simpson's boyfriend, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo.

"I've always wanted people to be able to look back at each video and go, 'Oh, remember what was going on at that moment?' You know what I mean? 'Oh, that's when Jessica Simpson got fat. Oh, OK!' " Em said. "And even if she gets thin again, that's fine. But for that moment in time, she was fat. But then I started thinking, like, 'Man!' I was telling [manager] Paul [Rosenberg] and everyone around me, 'Man, I don't wanna piss Tony Romo off and he starts throwing games for the Cowboys!' "


-MTVNEWS