Today viewers witnessed a major OMG moment on the show when Cher accidentally cursed on live television. The shocking moment went down during the Tuesday, November 19, episode of the program, while the superstar promoted her new book, Cher: The Memoir.
The hiccup happened during a conversation between Cher, 78, and Hoda Kotb about the “Believe” singer’s crumbling marriage to Sonny Bono. Cher said that she sought advice from Lucille Ball as her marriage to the late singer came tumbling down. She said that she had known Lucille since she was a kid and valued her input.
Hoda, 60, asked Cher exactly what Lucille told her in regard to handling her divorce in the public eye.
“I can’t say it on TV,” Cher explained, asking for clarification on whether or not producers were “going to bleep it” if she cursed.
“We’ll bleep it!” Hoda assured her, however, what happened next was pretty surprising for viewers.
“I said, ‘Lucy, I’m calling you because to my knowledge, there’s never been a situation besides mine except yours,’” Cher explained, referring to Lucille’s divorce from Desi Arnaz. “And she said, ‘F–k him. You’re the one with the talent!’”
A few people could be heard behind the camera reacting to the f-bomb. Hoda then pointed out that the curse word was not actually bleeped out for those who were tuning in to the live broadcast that morning. “Oh!” she said through laughter. “OK … we didn’t have the seven-second [delay]! But we will get for the next feed!”
Hoda seemed shocked after Cher said a curse word on live television. “Well you said I could!” Cher said, to which Hoda responded, “I should have bleeped it myself! Bleep!”
Like the true pro that she is, Hoda was able to steer the segment back into the right direction after the blunder. Snafu aside, Cher talked more about her candid conversation with Lucille in the book.
“I called Lucille Ball to ask for her advice,” the singer wrote. “I told her, ‘Lucy, I want to leave Sonny and you’re the only one I know that’s ever been in this same situation. What should I do?’ Lucy and her husband had also become famous working together as stars on TV. And he was a huge womanizer too. Then Lucy had left him. She told me, ‘F–k him, you’re the one with the talent.’”
Cher was married to Sonny from 1964 to 1975. He died in January 1998 of injuries sustained during a skiing accident.
During the Today interview, Cher said that it was a “journey” putting her heart on the page while writing her memoir. In the book, she also opened up about her childhood, her rise to fame and both of her marriages. The “Dark Lady” songstress was also married to Gregg Allman from 1975 to 1979.
“After I left Sonny, I started to kind of grow. I was like 27 but I was 16 so I was making mistakes in public constantly,” she told Hoda.
She explained that she first met Sonny in a restaurant and that’s how their story began. Cher needed a place to stay at the time.
“‘You can move in with me,’” she recalled Sonny telling her. “’To be honest, Cher I don’t find you particularly attractive.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, that’s terrible.’”
Their relationship eventually turned romantic, and they began performing as a duo, cohosting Sonny & Cher together. However, Cher said that she began to notice Sonny had “changed” in “the middle” of working together on the show.
“He just didn’t care about me,” she remarked. “I’m not so sure how much he cared for a little while … I didn’t have any kind of freedom.”
