Cher Screws Up By Announcing The Late Legend Luther Vandross As Grammy Winner

Cher mistakenly announced the late Luther Vandross as the winner of the Record of the Year at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, in the night’s biggest fail.

The legendary singer awkwardly lingered onstage after accepting her Lifetime Achievement Award, walking away only to be called back moments later. Host Trevor Noah reminded her to present the next nominees, and the already cringey moment quickly deteriorated further. Rather than announcing Kendrick Lamar and SZA as the winners for their song ‘Luther,’ Cher proudly and confidently belted out that the award went to the iconic Luther Vandross – who died in 2005.

Cher mistakenly says Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s song title as ‘Luther Vandross’ at the #Grammys for Record of the Year.

pic.twitter.com/ik3WYXqYE1

— Screen Rant (@screenrant) February 2, 2026

Cher appeared genuinely excited when she exclaimed, “Oh – and the Grammy goes to Luther Vandross!”

The crowd appeared dazed and confused by the epic fail, and the camera quickly panned away from the star and toward Lamar instead.

Lamar, still at his table at this point, looked confused by the bizarre fumble before realizing he had won. He eventually made his way to the stage with his entourage.

“No! Kendrick Lamar!” Cher shouted over top of the music. She remained on stage with a frozen smile on her face, waiting to hand-off the hardware.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Cher speaks onstage during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Mustard, who had accompanied Lamar to the stage, immediately took the microphone and asked for a moment of silence for the late Vandross, who was the inspiration behind the song, offering Cher a moment of grace while she stood there, still smiling awkwardly.

Social media was quick to notice she froze in place, and didn’t shuffle off stage to allow Lamar and his team deliver their acceptance speech.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Cher (C) presents the Record Of The Year award for “luther” to (from L) Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Scott Bridgeway onstage during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Cher seemed to take the major blunder in stride, but Noah didn’t let her off the hook quite as easily. (RELATED: Nicki Minaj Claps Back After Trevor Noah Savagely Disses Her On Grammy Stage)

When it was his turn back on the mic to he cheekily said, “I love live TV,” as he pointed out the weird mishap.