Eminem Seeks Protective Order Against RHOP’s Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon in “Shady” Trademark Dispute

For decades, rapper Eminem has been known for having beef with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. However, this week his beef isn’t with another rapper, but Real Housewives of Potomac stars Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon regarding the name of their podcast, which is called “Reasonably Shady.”

The trademark dispute began last year following the launch of the podcast in 2021. The two filed a trademark request for their name in 2022 (although it is unclear what the status of that application is). However, Eminem’s lawyers filed to block the trademark, stating that it would potentially cause confusion between the RHOP and Eminem brands. Eminem owns the trademark for “Shady” to use on merchandise.

In March, Bryant and Dixon told Page Six that they “deny any likelihood of confusion between Mather’s trademarks and their Reasonably Shady mark,” adding that they “are prepared to defend any allegations against them regarding their intellectual property.”

The ongoing fight led to Dixon and Bryant’s lawyers requesting that Eminem appear and sit for a disposition in court regarding the trademark dispute. However, on December 15, Em’s legal team filed paperwork requesting the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to grant him a protective order from having to appear in person for the legal proceedings.

In this type of case, a protective order is simply obtained so that Em would not have to physically appear in court (it is not a physical restraining order like in criminal cases). Calling the possible request for Em to appear in court “unduly burdensome,” Em’s lawyers stated that the artist has a “limited knowledge of the subjects at issue,” arguing that his legal team members have “superior knowledge of said issues.” (Translation: Eminem may be one of the best lyricists of all time, but he probably would have little to nothing to add in trademark law court.)

Either way, it appears that if Bryant and Dixon don’t honor Em’s request to change the name of their podcast, it will likely be up to a civil court to answer the question Will the real Shady please stand up?