Cher relays the blunt and expletive-laden advice Lucille Ball bestowed upon her

In a recent interview, Cher says she got a two-word response from Ball during a heart-to-heart about marriage woes

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published November 19, 2024 4:23PM (EST)

Inductee Cher speaks onstage during the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony streaming on Disney+ at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 19, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Inductee Cher speaks onstage during the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony streaming on Disney+ at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 19, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

In a recent appearance on "The Today Show" to promote the first volume of her new memoir, Cher was prompted by co-host Hoda Kotb to elaborate on a section of the book in which she describes receiving very matter-of-fact advice from Lucille Ball in the '70s, after reaching out to her during a particularly rough patch in her marriage to Sonny Bono — and in doing so, sneaks past the broadcast's sensors.

"I can’t say it on TV,” Cher said to Kotb in a warning leading up to the reveal.

“We’ll bleep it,” was the co-host's reply.

And then, in a blunder of technology, Cher let an F-bomb rip for the world to hear. 

Well, Lucille Ball's F-bomb, actually, because the advice given to the singer oh so many years ago was, "F**k him."

“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?’ Cher said, giving the full details of their conversation. "She told me, ‘F**k him, you’re the one with the talent.’” 

In "The Today Show's" coverage of their spicy viral moment, they provide the backstory on how Cher and Lucille Ball came to be friends, writing, "You may be wondering how exactly Ball and Cher even knew each other. Cher writes she had known the legendary sitcom star since she was little and that they attended an election results party for the 1972 presidential election hosted by Jack Benny, which Cher writes she didn’t want to attend."

“Cher: The Memoir, Part One" hit shelves on November 19.

Watch a clip from "The Today Show" appearance here:


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