RELATED: Cher’s real name isn’t actually ‘Cher’
Chaz Bono
Chaz Bono, the eldest of Cher’s kids, was born as Chastity Bono on March 4, 1969. Originally known as Cher’s daughter with then-spouse Sonny Bono, Chaz later came out as transgender. When he was still a child, Chaz appeared numerous times in The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour and Cher.
Chaz had a difficult time growing up. He wasn’t able to relate to other girls and their interests. He originally came out as a lesbian to his parents when he was 18, before transitioning to male later on in life.
Cher and Chaz
Despite being an icon and ally to the LGBTQIA+, Cher allegedly didn’t take the news of his coming out well, as detailed in Chaz’s 1998 memoirs Family Outing. Reports vary on the matter, with Cher claiming that it was because coming out at the time would have led to an even more difficult life, especially since Chaz was the child of two famous parents.
Chaz, on the other hand, felt that Cher wanted a daughter to play dress-up with, but that just wasn’t who he was. Eventually, the two reconciled, with Cher doing having her own ‘coming out party’ as a supportive mother of a lesbian.
Sonny and Chaz
Originally, Chaz and Sonny Bono got along fine, thanks to their shared love for music. The two even performed some songs together. Unfortunately, their relationship would become strained when Sonny became a Republican congressman for California. Due to their different political views, the two stopped talking to each other for more than a year before Sonny passed away during a fatal skiing accident in 1998.
Chaz’s Television Career
The eldest of child of Cher started appearing in a number of television shows after the release of the documentary Becoming Chaz, which detailed his identity struggles and transition. Chaz also competed in 2011’s Dancing With The Stars but was eliminated after a couple of weeks.
Cher did send her support to Chaz numerous times through social media whenever he appeared. In a 2014 episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, he appeared as a guest judge. Chaz has also starred in numerous episodes of American Horror Story: Roanoke and American Horror Story: The Cult.
Elijah Blue Allman
Elijah Blue Allman was born on July 10, 1976. He is the second son of the musical icon and one of the many children of Greg Allman, Cher’s husband at the time. Elijah pursued music more passionately than his brother Chaz, becoming the lead singer and guitarist of the band Deadsy.
According to court papers obtained by the Daily Mail, Allman's ex-wife Marieangela King alleged that Cher had hired four men to "kidnap" her son from the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles in November 2022.
"[On] the night of our wedding anniversary, four people came to our hotel room and removed [Elijah] from our room. I was told by one of the four men who took him that they were hired by [Elijah's] mother," King stated.
According to the publication, Cher allegedly was concerned for her son's well-being after discovering photos of Elijah appearing dishevelled in a hotel that he was reportedly living in at the time, with the singer allegedly intervening to place her son in rehab.
Gregg and Elijah
Unfortunately, Elijah and Gregg didn’t have a very close relationship. Gregg was battling a lot of substance abuse over the years, and Cher was worried about how it would impact Elijah, so she sent her son to boarding school at the age of 8. Gregg died in 2017 at the age of 69, and though the two were never close, they did briefly bond before his death.
Elijah and Cher
Cher’s son reportedly felt abandoned when he was sent to a boarding school at such a young age. While Cher thought it would be best for Elijah, the lack of a proper father figure made him constantly pine for one, trying to bond with the various men his mother dated.
Just like his father, Elijah Allman is quite a musician. Aside from his band Deadsy, he has also worked with Jared Leto’s band Thirty Seconds to Mars. Elijah has also tried auditioning for Nine Inch Nails as their guitarist but then lost the spot to Robin Finck.
Elijah and Chaz were reportedly close when they were kids. Unfortunately, due to their different lifestyles and their growing apart, the half-siblings don’t really have much of a relationship these days.
