SZA Defends Cher After Her Awkward 'Luther Vandross' Mix-Up During The Grammys

From Chappell Roan's daring red carpet look, to Sabrina Carpenter getting teary-eyed at missing out on six Grammys, to memorable stage performances, the 2026 Grammys left us with a lot to talk about!

But one of the funniest moments had to be Cher's presentation of the Record of the Year.

Cher took the stage to present the Record of the Year, only to give a very dramatic pause when it was time to announce the winner. As giggles fanned out across the audience, Cher looked behind her and realized her mistake.

She then admitted to the audience that she'd been told that the winner would be revealed on the prompter screens, so she was trying to time her announcement with the presentation. The audience laughed as Cher covered her mouth in embarrassment.

It only got sillier from there.

Cher then dramatically opened the envelope, but instead of saying that the winner was "Luther" or SZA and Kendrick Lamar, she instead said the winner was Luther Vandross, the legendary R&B artist who died in 2005—and the inspiration for the song.

There was confusion in the audience, and Kendrick Lamar and SZA seemed to decide amongst themselves that "Luther Vandross" meant them, before Cher clarified from the stage, simply saying Kendrick Lamar's name but not SZA's.

You can watch Cher's presentation here:

Some were genuinely confused by Cher's mention of Luther Vandross instead of the song "Luther."

Others couldn't help but laugh at how Cher's whole award presentation went.

In response to the negative comments, SZA spoke up on Cher's behalf, giving her the benefit of the doubt and showing her grace.

"We share the frequency of the song."

"It's his [Vandross's] frequency that allowed us to win, allowed it to be memorable."

"So she's not wrong. And she's from that era; she probably really knew Luther Vandross."

"Of course, her brain and her energy was connecting that energy to the energy that we're sharing. We're just, we're mooching off what Luther already gave us, so we're grateful, and I wish I could speak to him and thank him."

You can listen to SZA's response here:

Fans were touched by SZA's take on the situation.

This was such a thoughtful response for SZA to share and a positive spin to what some found to be a funny or awkward moment.

We all make mistakes, especially when we're in front of a lot of people, and it's lovely that SZA was able to take this and turn it into a great memory.