Eminem regrets MTV VMA puppet row

Eminem has said that he regrets his violent reaction to a comedy puppet at the 2002 MTV VMAs.

In his new book The Way I Am, the rapper admits he trashed the backstage area at the event after he was mocked by Conan O'Brien regular Triumph The Insult Comic Dog.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Eminem writes: "I'd been so busy touring and doing my own s**t, that I hadn't had time to watch TV, so I had no idea what that dog was.

"My natural reaction was 'Get the f**k out of my face'... And that's when I kind of lost it and a half. I should have kept my composure."

Triumph mocked the hip-hop star about his feud with dance artist Moby.

"I threw a fit. There was a cooler with drinks in it, and I asked if anybody wanted to grab a water or something. Nobody did. So I picked up the cooler and threw it against the wall and kind of f**ked up the whole room.

"What I actually got mad about was the most ridiculous thing in the world. A puppet."