Why Cher Refused To Appear On David Letterman's Show

As one of the biggest divas in music, Cher is an elusive figure and does not grant interviews often. David Letterman learned this the hard way when he invited the "Believe" singer to his late night talk show in the '80s. Cher rejected Letterman for four years before she finally appeared on his show, but it wasn't without a good backstory.

Cher recounted the invite at a concert in 2017 and said that Letterman had to pay for her hotel in exchange for her appearance on his show. "I had a $28,000 hotel bill and Dave Letterman had always asked me to be on his show," she explained, per People. "And I said, 'Yes if you have $28,000.' But they said no." Cher then explained that they finally agreed. But why make the show pay so much money? According to Cher herself, she told show producers her reasoning was "because [Letterman] is very smart and funny but he can be so cruel if he doesn't like the people." 

Needless to say, Cher's appearance was one for the books. Per Rolling Stone, Cher famously called Letterman "an a**hole" on air after she explained her hesitancy to appear on the show. The entire segment was testy as Letterman tried to make small talk, but Cher was having none of it. However, their relationship has since improved.