Cher’s slip up at the 2026 Grammys has quickly become one of the ceremony’s most talked about moments and producers revealed its impact.
The legendary singer first took the stage to accept her Lifetime Achievement Award, but when it came time to present Record of the Year, she stumbled.
“And the Grammy goes to,” Cher began, before pausing and admitting, “Oh, they told me it was going to be on the prompter.”
Opening the envelope, she announced Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Luther—but mistakenly referred to the title as Luther Vandross, the late R&B icon.
Behind the scenes, Grammys producer Ben Winston revealed that host Trevor Noah’s quick move to guide Cher back on stage was prompted by his own instructions through Noah’s earpiece.
“You’ve just gotta get up and bring her back,” Winston recalled telling him.
Reflecting on the mix up, Winston added, “If I could go back in time, I’d want that to happen again. She’s happy with it. She had a great time. You want a bit of anarchy.”
SZA, who accepted the award with Kendrick, also defended Cher’s mistake, noting that their track samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s If This World Were Mine.
“She’s not wrong,” SZA told Entertainment Tonight.
“She probably really knew Luther Vandross. Of course, her brain and her energy is connecting that energy to the energy that we’re sharing. We’re mooching off of what Luther already gave us, so we’re grateful.”
