Earlier this year, Eminem tried to prevent Gizeelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon from trademarking the name of their podcast, Reasonably Shady. More recently, the stars who became famous because of the show The Real Housewives of Potomac requested a deposition which required the rapper to make a personal appearance. Eminem responded last December 15 by filing a protective order that wouldn’t mandate his physical presence.

Fifty-one-year-old Marshall Mathers, more famously known as Eminem, filed a case that would stop 53-year-old Gizelle and 44-year-old Robyn from creating a trademark that has been closely associated with Eminem’s career. One of Eminem’s biggest hits is the hit single entitled “The Real Slim Shady” which was released in 2000. His second studio album from 1999 was also called “Slim Shady.” Aside from carrying the name Eminem, the rap artist has also often been referred to as “The Real Slim Shady” and the nickname has become part of his identity as a musician.

Based on the documents filed by the Grammy-award-winning rapper’s lawyers, the “efforts of the Bravo stars to make him sit for a deposition are ‘premature and procedurally improper.”

The lawyers also said that “Bryant and Dixon ‘have yet to serve’ Eminem ‘with a notice of deposition,’ a necessary prerequisite to taking and requesting that the Board compel a deposition.”

Moreover, “even if Eminem were put into the ‘unduly burdensome’ position of being deposed, it would not provide essential information. The “Lose Yourself” rapper’s legal representatives cited that “Eminem has a limited knowledge of the subjects at issue’ and any information gleaned from questioning him would likely be ‘duplicative,’ as other professionals on his team possess a ‘superior knowledge of said issues.”

Eminem’s lawyers emphasized that “Bryant and Dixon have not attempted to obtain the discovery they need via more convenient and less burdensome means.” According to them, the lack of due diligence is the reason why they are requesting a “protective order precluding the deposition of Marshall Mathers III.”

Based on a report by Page Six, Eminem expressed concerns that his brand may be damaged if the trademark is granted. Note that the rapper owns the “Shady” trademark for merchandise and he has extensively used the term “Slim Shady” for merchandise and entertainment services since 1998.

Gizelle and Robyn filed for the same trademark to sell merchandise under their podcast name. These products include but aren’t limited to sweatshirts, water bottles, hats, lip gloss, and socks. The duo’s podcast started in November 2021, with new episodes every Monday. The show features conversations about fearless women and their experiences. Some topics that have been discussed during the show include relationships, dating, marriage, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and style.

Since its debut, the podcast has been relatively successful. It was even nominated as an Outstanding Arts and Entertainment Podcast during the 2022 53rd NAACP Image Awards. The duo also hit the 5-million downloads milestone earlier this year which had Gizelle gushing on Instagram to the delight of her 709,000 followers.

She wrote, “SOOO EXCITED! Less than two years, and our little @reasonablyshady podcast has over 5 MILLION downloads. Thank you so much for listening! Thank you for your love and support! We appreciate being a part of the @blackeffectfamily. Thank you @iheartradio.”