Siffre, who is openly gay, said in a 2012 interview that he refused to approve the usage until certain sexist and homophobic lyrics were removed from the song: "Dissing the victims of bigotry – women as bitches, homosexuals as faggots – is lazy writing.

The video was co-directed by the song's producer and co-writer Dr. Dre and Phillip G. Atwell, the latter of whom would later direct music videos for several other Eminem songs, including "The Real Slim Shady", "Stan", "Guilty Conscience", "Role Model", "Cleanin' Out My Closet" (all with Dre), "Lose Yourself" (with Eminem and Paul Rosenberg) , "Sing for the Moment" (alongside Jeff Grippe), "Ass Like That", and "Just Lose It" (both solo).

The video starts with a stereotypical redneck family watching television, who then come across a show starring "Marshall Mathers" (Eminem's real name).

He also imitates, among others, then-President of the United States Bill Clinton, Johnny Carson, Marilyn Manson, and a porn star.

Eminem is seen wearing a red tuxedo in some parts of the video, something that he would pay homage to in his 2020 single "Gnat", 21 years after "My Name Is" was originally released.

Lines such as, "Well, since age 12, I felt like I'm someone else 'Cause I hung my original self from the top bunk with a belt," are replaced with "Since age 12 I felt like a caged elf Who stayed to himself in one space, chasing his tail," also with lines referencing ripping Pamela Lee's breasts off replaced with ripping her lips off and kissing them, saying how they feel soft like silicone.

[14] Eminem's mother Debbie Mathers filed a $10 million slander lawsuit against him for insinuating that she does drugs in the lyrics "99% of my life I was lied to, I just found out my mom does more dope than I do".

[18] Eminem also berates his mother in the third verse of the song, with the lyrics "When I was little I used to get so hungry I would throw fits/How you gonna breastfeed me, Mom?!