Cher accused of lip-syncing again after SNL performance
Fans react as the 79-year-old returns to Saturday Night Live as musical guest for the first time since 1987
Cher is facing renewed accusations of lip-syncing after her Saturday Night Live appearance this weekend. The 79-year-old was the show's musical guest for the first time since her 1987 debut, though she has appeared in occasional cameos over the years. The performance featured DJ Play a Christmas Song, a track from her 2023 Yuletide album, but viewers argued that the vocal was heavily processed, prompting social media chatter and wide-ranging reactions.
During the onstage segment, Cher delivered the Christmas-era tune with a vocal that many viewers believed had been digitally altered. Clips circulated on X, where fans debated whether the star was singing live or lip-syncing. One post read, "cher in a hannah montana wig not even remotely pretending not to lip sync her way through her set. camp is BACK!" Another commenter quipped, "The lip syncing is iconic. We love you Cher," while a third added, "quick, someone get cher lip-syncing lessons." The chatter underscored a divide between enthusiasts who defend Cher’s performance and others who view lip-syncing as a distraction from live spectacle.
The controversy this time echoes past public debates about her lip-syncing in high-profile settings. Viewers recalled that two years earlier, during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, Cher faced similar scrutiny when some observers argued the vocal appeared mimed during the parade’s televised segments. While supporters said lip-syncing is common practice for large, televised performances — especially parades where live sound can be compromised by floats and weather — critics pointed to moments when Cher moved the microphone away from her mouth and left the sound unchanged.
Beyond the Macy’s moment, Cher’s history with lip-sync controversy extends to 1991, when she faced backlash for lip-syncing on ABC’s In Concert to promote the Love Hurts era. The episode arrived amid a broader public reckoning on live performance integrity following Milli Vanilli’s lip-sync scandal the year before. Those episodes are often cited in discussions about the pressures and expectations of live music on television and during large-scale broadcasts.
Despite the ongoing debates, Cher remains a prominent figure in pop culture who frequently balances showmanship with her enduring vocal identity. Her 2023 Christmas album — the first Yuletide collection of her career — includes DJ Play a Christmas Song and Run Run Rudolph, both of which frame her return to holiday-themed music with a combination of new material and standards. Many fans view the performances as part of a broader spectacle that emphasizes artistry, trendsetting fashion, and performance drama as much as live singing.
Reaction to the SNL appearance appeared to run along familiar lines: some fans dismissed the concerns, pointing to Cher’s stage presence and catalog as reasons to celebrate her return to the spotlight, while others argued that fans deserve to see live singing from a performer with such a storied career. As with prior incidents, the episode ignited a broader discussion about when lip-syncing is acceptable in televised entertainment and how audiences weigh authenticity against entertainment value.
As the year closes, Cher continues to influence conversations about performance norms in Culture & Entertainment, with her SNL moment prompting renewed scrutiny of how megastars manage vocal delivery, technology, and live presentation on late-night television and parades alike.