The music icon had an immediately legendary introduction for Kendrick Lamar’s Record of the Year victory.

Cher flubs Grammys winner announcement after accidentally walking off stage before reading nominees

The music icon had an immediately legendary introduction for Kendrick Lamar's Record of the Year victory.

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

on February 2, 2026 12:24 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Cher has on-stage mishap at 2026 Grammys. Credit:

Kevin Winter/Getty

Cher just gave an immediately iconic performance at the 2026 Grammys — and she didn't even have to sing a note.

After taking the Crypto.com Arena stage Sunday night in Los Angeles to accept her Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy, the 79-year-old pop legend launched a series of comical flubs during her first Grammys appearance in 18 years.

The entertainer first walked out to accept her accolade from host Trevor Noah, before she was meant to read the nominees for Record of the Year following her acceptance speech.

Cher on stage at the 2026 Grammys.

Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

Initially, she encouraged the crowd to, "Sit down, please," before admitting, "I don't do this part very well. I mean, put a microphone in my hand, have some music, I'm great!"

She then gave a speech about chasing dreams and achieving goals, telling the crowd, "If it's not happening now, it will happen soon. That's all I have to say. Thank you!"

The audience applauded, before Cher looked around nervously and said, "I guess I'm supposed to walk off now. Alright!" She then slowly walked toward the back of the set, before Noah rushed out to shout after her.

Ozzy Osbourne's family breaks down in tears over Grammys tribute

Justin Bieber goes shirtless for shockingly stripped-down Grammys performance

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter*.**

"Before you go, before you go, Cher! Before you go, could we get you to announce the nominees? I could do it, but it's not the same," Noah said, while a crew member could be seen encouraging Cher to walk back out toward center stage. "Welcome back Cher, everybody!"

Cher made her way up to the mic, where she said, "You can see I wanted to get off the stage," before reading the nominees without a hitch... that is, until the camera returned to her as she held the winner envelope in her hand.

Cher paused slightly, looking into the camera for a few beats before exclaiming, "Oh, they told me it was going to be on the prompter!" She laughed and read the name aloud, with the winner being Kendrick Lamar and SZA's 2024 collaboration "Luther."

Cher walks out on stage at the 2026 Grammys.

JC Olivera/WireImage

Cher, however, announced the wrong name, with many viewers interpreting her words as "Luther Vandross" (the late star whose song "If This World Were Mine" Lamar sampled on the track).

The Oscar-winning *Moonstruck* actress quickly corrected herself, though, shouting, "No, Kendrick Lamar!" as Lamar made his way up to the stage.

Lamar then paid tribute to Vandross, who died in 2005, in his speech: "First and foremost, let's give a shout-out to the late, great, Luther Vandross," he said. "It was very, very important to keep the integrity of this record."

*See the full list of 2026 Grammys winners here.*

- Awards Shows & Events

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Grammys”