Bacon-hangry murderers, provocative pop stars,
and prickly politicos. Easy targets? Or juicy beef magnets? If she could turn back time,
this Twitter titan would shade these stars to shreds over and over.
"What the f— is MDNA?"
You could write an entire book about the beef between pop superstars Cher
and Madonna. But where did it all begin? Well,
it seems as though a 1991 appearance on British chat show "Wogan" may have been the catalyst.
While promoting her film "Mermaids," Cher was asked about the Material Girl,
and she didn't pull any punches.
"She's unbelievably creative because she's not unbelievably talented. She's not beautiful,
but she's kind of […] she's rude."
That same year she recalled inviting her friend Sean Penn and his then-wife Madonna
over to her place. Calling Madge out on acting "mean," she told CBS,
"It seems to me that she's
got so much that she doesn't have to act the way that — she acts like a spoiled brat all the time."
Cher has continued to take jabs at the Queen of Pop ever since. In 2012,
she tweeted that she was celebrating Madge's birthday by getting a colonic.
And when asked which three singers she'd like to duet with, she once told "Ellen,"
"Adele, Pink and not Madonna."
"He's an a–hole."
We could talk for hours about the hundreds of hate tweets Cher has
posted about Donald Trump. There was the time she compared Trump to Hitler,
adding that she'd rather "chew glass" than support him. Then there was the one where she
posted a Photoshopped pic of Trump in bed with Russian leader Vladimir Putin with the caption,
"Ok Daddy. I'll do whatever you want."
Ahead of the 2020 election, she told The Guardian,
"If Trump can't be in the White House, he's going to burn it down. He's trying
to block Joe at every moment. He's the most vindictive person I've ever witnessed. I think
he's fighting so hard because he's going to be prosecuted when he gets out of the White House."
In case any question remained, Cher then claimed that she's never hated
anyone in her life more than she hates Trump.
"I never liked computer-enhanced music."
Well, maybe the feeling is mutual.
"Ladies and gentlemen, The Jackson 5." "Alright!"
Cher worked alongside Michael Jackson on several occasions,
including a medley with The Jackson 5 on her self-titled show back in 1975
and a 50th anniversary special of "American Bandstand." But it was while filming the latter
that the singer's opinion of the King of Pop drastically changed. She told TV Guide in 2003,
"He had this child rolled up in a blanket, and I was thinking, 'What kind of life is
this?' I cannot imagine putting my children through what he put his children through."
She also revealed that her views on the superstar were confirmed by his
odd behavior in the documentary "Living with Michael Jackson." She recalled,
"I saw the recent documentary on him, and I thought:
'This guy is nuts. He shouldn't have these children.' As an artist, I can't fault his
art because he was brilliant. […] I wouldn't buy anything now."
Miley Cyrus and her sexually charged performance with Robin Thicke at the
2013 MTV Video Music Awards was one of the most talked-about in history. But the most
no-nonsense review came from a woman who was no stranger to dressing provocatively herself.
Cher revealed that she wasn't exactly a fan of the performance,
but not for the reasons you may think. She told USA Today,
"I'm not old-fashioned. She could have come out naked, and if she'd just rocked the house,
I would have said, 'You go, girl.' It just wasn't done well. She can't dance,
her body looked like hell, the song wasn't great,
one cheek was hanging out. And, chick, don't stick out your tongue if it's coated."
"I don't like the fact that it wasn't good."
Luckily, Cyrus seemingly took Cher's shade in
stride. She later told SiriusXM's "Live Transmission Christmas,"
"I'm like, 'Oh, Cher gives a f— about what I'm doing!' When these legends and these
icons and these artists that we look up to f—ing hate us, it's still a compliment. She
was mad that I was sticking my tongue out all the time and all that s—. And I'm like, 'Yo,
I pissed Cher off, I really made it!'" Trump isn't the only political figure to
repeatedly incur the wrath of Cher on Twitter. Referring to the 2012 presidential election,
the singer tweeted of hopeful Republican contender Mitt Romney,
"If Romney gets elected I don't know if I can breathe [the] same air as him and his
right-wing, racist, homophobic, women-hating teabagger masters."
Cher has also accused Romney of keeping his money in offshore accounts — as well
as pointing out the lack of diversity in his following. The chart-topper also warned
her own followers to be vigilant when it comes to the voting booth, posting,
"I Know u aren't in2 politics, but you'll pay High Price if u
Don't Know the enemy. Mitt Would Steal The Penny's Off His OWN Eyes 2 B PRESIDENT."
"'I'm Cher and I approve this message.' I mean, this is Cher, b—-es. Do what she says."
Cher once again proved in 2016 that she can stir up the Twitter drama when she essentially called
for the governor of Michigan to be executed. The singer sounded off about Rick Snyder in the wake
of the Flint water crisis. Angry that the citizens of the town were at risk of lead poisoning, Cher
described the politician as a murderer, arguing that he deliberately polluted the water supply.
After initially calling for Snyder to go to jail,
she then appeared to suggested that only capital punishment would suffice.
A spokesman for the governor responded in a statement,
"It's unfortunate that someone would use such rhetoric at a time when Gov.
Snyder is working so closely with Flint's leaders on coordinated efforts to protect
the health and welfare of people in the city and across our state."
Wendy Williams learned the hard way in 2020 that you don't mess
with Cher. The talk show host quickly became the singer's arch nemesis when
she appeared to mock Joaquin Phoenix's facial birthmark, while hosting her show.
"He's got this. No, I find it to be — I find it to be very attractive."
Cher immediately fired off on Twitter:
"I was going to try and hold my temper. But I'm so f—ing angry, I can't. In 1985,
I made a film called 'Mask.' Through that film I became involved with children and adults who
had craniofacial anomalies. You have no idea what these people go through!! 20 operations."
The star, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the drama, added:
"Before their teens, much of the time they are in pain, afraid, but have hope they will
look normal. The heartbreak and fear their parents go through is unbearable. If your
mom saw what you did she'd be ashamed. My mom taught me to love and help people in pain."
Cher then suggested that Williams, who later apologized, should be fired for her remarks.
There was no love lost between Cher and director Peter Bogdanovich during the filming of "Mask."
The pair repeatedly clashed on the set of the movie. And over time, their feud eventually
spilled into the full view of the public eye at the film's Cannes Film Festival premiere.
Bogdanovich, who sat three seats away from Cher, later called her out at a press conference,
accusing her of ignoring his direction. In return, Cher claimed that the director was,
"Looking after his own interests […] and not the interests of the film."
Three years later, Cher alleged that Bogdanovich had made sexual advances toward her during the
shoot and that his lack of empathy affected his direction. The pair were still beefing three
decades later, with the filmmaker telling Vulture that Cher "couldn't sustain a scene." Still,
following his death in January 2022, Cher paid her respects, tweeting:
"I'm proud of the film we made together and in the end I'm sure he must have been
as well. He made some very memorable films and discovered amazingly talented artists."
Sarah Palin entered Cher's radar in 2008 when she was announced as John McCain's
running mate for the presidential bid. Unsurprisingly, given her liberal stance,
the singer often gave the governor of Alaska a piece of her mind.
Describing her as a quote, "media whore," Cher saved her
most offensive insult for a 2013 tweet which read,
"Go to the dictionary and look up the 'C'-word. […] Next to the definition […] you'll see a
pic of Sarah Palin! No […] wait […] she's under 'dumb C-word.'"
Although Palin didn't address the remarks directly, her brother,
Chuck tried to take the high road, posting to Cher on Facebook:
"I was sorry to hear that you tweeted out such vile comments about my little sister
yesterday. It's sad because Sarah has never had a harsh word to say about you. In fact,
our grandmother was one of your biggest fans."
Bill Maher isn't exactly known as the most sensitive guy on the late-night talk show circuit.
So it probably wasn't too much of a surprise when he made a below the belt comment about
Chaz Bono's gender reassignment surgery in 2010, telling his "Real Time with Bill Maher" audience,
"If [Cher] was your mother, you would [transition] too."
It also wasn't too much of a surprise when Cher clapped back. During an
appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman," the singer was asked about
Maher's offensive remarks. And she took down the comedian with just two words.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know. F— him."
Four years later, Maher invited Bono onto his show to discuss his book "Transition:
The Story of How I Became a Man," where Maher offered an apology to
Cher. Admitting that he's a total fan of the singer, he clarified to Chaz:
"We do jokes. It's a comedy show. I wasn't trying to be mean and it never really was. Ok."
Cher memorably held her own against Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon,
and Michelle Pfeiffer in 1987's "The Witches of Eastwick." But as she told
fans during a live performance several decades later, she was
initially overlooked for the role of Alexandra Medford because of blatant sexism and ageism.
Cher recalled getting a phone call from filmmaker George Miller, during which she claimed:
"He said, 'I just wanted to call and tell you that I don't want you in my movie and
Jack Nicholson and I think you're too old and you're not sexy.' He
just wanted to tell me everything: 'I hate the way you walk. I hate the way
you talk. I don't like the color of your hair. I don't like your eyes.'"
"You have no taste, a lousy sense of humor, and you smell."
As you'd expect, Cher didn't take the character assassination lying down. She added,
"I was like, 'O.K., look motherf—er […] you didn't find me under a rock. I was
nominated for an Academy Award for "Silkwood." And I got the
Cannes Film Festival award for best actress for "Mask," so goodbye!'"
Cher's response obviously worked, and she landed the part.
In 2011, Cher's son Chaz competed on Season 13 of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," where
he ultimately landed in seventh place. But hell hath no fury like a contestant's mother scorned.
Yes, yet again, Cher took to Twitter to give the judges a piece of her mind. First,
she took aim at Bruno Tonioli, who described Chaz
as a "cute little penguin trying to be a menacing bird of prey." She posted,
"To the gentleman, I didn't know who you were before,
which I guess is a blessing. Going home is fine but why insult him before he
goes. Maybe rudeness and flapping arms take the place of talent."
The singer then switched her attention to judge Len Goodman, writing,
"As for the older gentleman, every show needs a grumpy old man."
"Terrible while it's happening and a joy when it's over."
Still, Cher had nothing but kind words to say about their colleague Carrie Ann Inaba, adding,
"Thank you Carrie Ann for your gentility. You are beautiful inside and out."
Cher is a staunch advocate for animal rights and many of her tweets have been
directed toward those who she thinks have violated those rights. Take Chris Christie,
who the singer described as a "despicable bully" for his vetoing of a bill involving
pig crates. The singer took to Twitter, writing to the New Jersey governor:
"Why must you torture pregnant pigs? You put them in crates and lock them down so they can't move."
Cher then warned him to forget any hope of ever becoming president.
Christie had argued that the bill would have been ineffective in his home state,
which houses only 9,000 pigs. But that didn't placate Cher, who responded:
"WTF IS WRONG W/MEAT EATERS (Yes that’s what I said). DO Ppl NEED F—-NG BACON SO BADLY,
THEY WILL TORTURE THE PIG 4 ITS ENTIRE LIFE 2 GET IT"
Another Twitter burn by the iconic goddess of pop takes us out in a blaze of glory.
"I'm not giving up my personality for anybody, ok?"