Cher had an awkward moment on stage after stumbling through the announcement for Record of the Year at this year’s Grammys. The music icon appeared briefly flustered, and what should have been a smooth presentation quickly turned into a mix up that left the audience laughing and Cher visibly embarrassed.
She was already on stage earlier in the night to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award, and that part went as expected. But after thanking everyone, she walked off without realizing she was also supposed to announce Record of the Year, forcing a quick return that set an uncertain tone.
Once back at the microphone, Cher looked to the teleprompter, clearly expecting the winner’s name to appear there. After a pause, she realized the name was actually inside the envelope she was holding, a moment that caused confusion and visible hesitation as the room waited.
“Oh! They told me it was going to be on the prompter,” Cher exclaimed as the audience began to giggle, sensing something had gone off track. She then opened the envelope and confidently read out a name that immediately raised eyebrows across the room.
Cher announced the winner as Luther Vandross, a legendary singer who passed away two decades ago. The mistake landed hard, and Cher’s expression shifted as the reality of what she had just said started to sink in.
The camera quickly cut to the actual winners, Kendrick Lamar and SZA, standing in the crowd as Cher corrected herself. The confusion stemmed from the winning song being titled “luther,” which references and samples Vandross’ song “If This World Were Mine.”
When Kendrick Lamar and SZA made their way to the stage, Cher began apologizing repeatedly, clearly feeling bad about the mix up. The artists appeared gracious, taking the moment in stride while the audience reacted with a mix of laughter and applause.
Online reactions poured in almost immediately, with many viewers calling the moment unforgettable rather than cruel. One person said, “An honest mistake, but still iconic,” while another wrote, “Cher fumbled that announcement so bad lmao. Said Luther Vandross instead of the song luther.”
A third reaction summed up the chaos by saying, “The pause, the name mix up, the absolute chaos – only Cher could accidentally turn a Record of the Year announcement into camp television history.” The moment has already been added by many fans to the list of unforgettable Grammys mishaps.
Here are a few others to have happened over the years:
Jennifer Lopez and that green dress (2000)
Back in 2000, Jennifer Lopez showed up to the Grammys in a green, plunging Versace dress that completely stole the spotlight, and it ended up being more awkward for the academy than for her. The outfit drew so much attention that people ignored the awards entirely and searched for her photos online in massive numbers, which directly led to the creation of Google Images.
Lady Gaga’s infamous entrance (2011)
This was not a meat dress moment, but it did involve eggs, specifically when the ‘Bad Romance’ singer arrived at the 2011 Grammys inside a giant egg carried down the red carpet. She stayed inside it until her performance of ‘Born This Way’, and years later people are still confused about why it happened at all, with no clear explanation ever given.
Nicki Minaj and the exorcism (2012)
Back in 2012, Nicki Minaj was at the height of her popularity, so a performance at the Grammys was no surprise, but what caught people off guard was her ‘Roman Holiday’ set. Dressed as a nun and acting out an exorcism themed scene, the performance left many viewers shocked and uncomfortable, with reactions split between those calling it artistic and others finding it awkward and disturbing.
Taylor Swift and her ‘Red’ nomination (2014)
Taylor Swift being nominated at the Grammys is nothing new, but in 2014 the moment got awkward when many expected her album Red to win Album of the Year and the presenter dragged out the announcement for laughs. As they slowly said “RRRRRRR-Random Access Memories,” Swift’s expression visibly shifted from excitement to confusion once it became clear she was not the winner.
Kanye West interrupts another artist on stage (2015)
Swifties can relax because this one is not about Taylor Swift, but about Beck, who found himself in a similar situation on the Grammys stage. Like Swift, he was interrupted by Kanye West, who suggested he should not have won over Beyoncé, and while it first seemed like a joke, the moment quickly became uncomfortable. Things got even more awkward later when Ye publicly said Beck should respect “real artistry” and hand the award to Beyoncé.
