SZA & Luther Vandross Estate React To Cher’s Kendrick Confusion
Never Not too much! Cher went viral for naming Luther Vandross as the Record of the Year Grammy winner … 20 years after his death. Kendrick Lamar, SZAAnd the late singer's estate elegantly showed the price awkwardness.
The 2026 Grammys were full of powerful speeches, emotional tributes, record-breaking victories, and powerful performances, but Cher still managed to steal the show. She only expected to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award for her 60-year career. When her speech was finished, so was Cher, and she was almost off the stage when host Trevor Noah called her back to hand out the final award.
The “Believe” star joked, “You could see I wanted off the stage” before announcing the Record of the Year nominees: Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Chappell Roan and Rosé, and Bruno Mars.
After a happy moment with the teleprompter and envelope, a clearly confused Cher announced, “Oh, the Grammy goes to Luther Vandross!” Mind you, he passed away in 2005. She quickly corrected herself that “the Grammy goes to Kendrick Lamar” and apologized.
The “Not Like Us” titan laughed off the mix-up as he accepted the award with SZA, Ruchaun Akers, Kamasi Washington, and Sounwave. He lay in the moment by honoring the deceased icon.
“This is special for me, I have to take my time because [Vandross]is one of my favorite artists of all time. They gave us the privilege to do our version of it [‘If This World Were Mine’]. When we got that clearance, I promise you, we damn near all shed a tear because we know how much he and Cheryl Lynn went into that record. That we can place our vocal of it proves that we are worth something to be just as great as those individuals,” Kendrick said.
Social media reacts to speculation about Cher Snafu
Social media went wild with the moment, which ended the show. Some comments joked that Cher “didn't know she had to work,” having to wear glasses like Teyana Taylor.
Harsher critics berated the ageless star who was finally “showing her age” or even showing signs of “dementia”. However, she performed well with her new music and a sketch for the Christmas episode of SNL. If anything, Cher's last-minute performance after missing the Grammys Special Merit Awards on Saturday changed the lineup for everyone already.
Informed fans noted that the most likely reason for the mixup is far less sensational. TV Insider posts Cher openly discussed her difficulties with reading and declared in her memoirs that she dropped out at 16. She didn't get a diagnosis for dyslexia and dyscalculia until he was 30 years old.
SZA Claims Cher Knew The Vibes Even If She Misread The Winner Luther Vandross Estate Enters The Conversation
SZA didn't hesitate to speak out in Cher's defense, even though she allegedly “didn't know what was going on.” It didn't matter to the “Kill Bill” singer, who gave credit where credit is always due when it comes to Cher.
“A legend spoke … that's what I understood. Cher was, you know, she was queen,” SZA told Entertainment Tonight.
“We share the frequency of the song, like that's his frequency that allowed us to win and that allowed us to be, like, memorable. So she's not wrong, and she's from that era, so she probably knew Luther Vandross,” SZA continued.
“Of course, her brain and her energy connects that energy to the energy that we share. We are mooching off of what Luther already gave us. So, we are grateful. Thank you, Luther, “she continued.
Luther's estate, which also has the X account dedicated to him, entered the conversation to sweetly call out Cher. The post included a clip from the Grammys with the caption, “If only we could turn back time, @Cher,” with a heart emoji.
When it comes to awards shows, we've seen far worse moments, like the Lala Land and Moonlight mixup at the 2017 Oscars. Or some of the best and brightest talents don't get the recognition fans think they deserve. However, Kendrick and SZA understood the command about respecting icons in the loft and on stage.
