Highlights
- Cher called David Letterman an “a–hole” during their first interview in 1986, causing tension and awkwardness.
- Letterman had wanted Cher on his show for four years and she finally agreed, but she still found him lacking in provocation.
- Cher demanded that Letterman’s team pay her $25,000 hotel bill and mentioned it again during a later concert, revealing it was not just a joke.
It took a lot of convincing to get Cher on The Late Night with David Letterman in 1986. And when she got there, she told the host he wasn’t “provocative” enough. Soon, things escalated, and the singer started calling Letterman an “a—ole.”
The music icon is known to make things awkward when asked about rumors like that time with James Corden. So it was no surprise that even the 11th richest late-night personality was “thrown off his game” following the vulgar exchange.
Cher seemed to enjoy the situation and even demanded Letterman’s team to pay her $25,000 hotel bill. Here’s the truth about the Moonstruck star’s relationship with the “invasive” tear-jerker host.
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Why Cher Called David Letterman An “A–Hole” In Their First Interview In 1986
In his introduction of Cher, Letterman revealed that they’d “wanted this woman on the show for four years.” They had also asked her at least 81 times to come on the show. He then joked that the singer was convinced to be there “through a lapse of judgment.”
A minute into the interview, the Believe songstress asked, “Is this as good as it gets?” Letterman responded by assuring her that he’d prepared “interesting, provocative stuff.” He then asked why Cher finally decided to come on his show, which he answered with a laugh. “I don’t know. I thought it was one reason, but I’m sure that couldn’t be it,” she explained.
“I want to pay my hotel bill. I have a huge hotel bill,” she joked. But Letterman wanted the truth, so Cher blurted out: “I thought I would never want to do this show with you.” The host asked, “Why, because you thought I was…” — “An a–hole,” said the Oscar winner. The audience started booing and clapping at the same time.
As it turned out, Cher had told a Late Night staffer about her thoughts on Letterman prior to the interview. The two tried to keep the show going, but the latter admitted: “You know, with that a–hole remark, you kinda threw me off. You’re the first person to call me that in person though. I’m sure they mutter that on the way out sometimes.”
In 1986, Cher shocked the Oscars crowd with her bare-midriff “revenge dress” and towering feathered headdress.
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