Most people know Cher, the legendary singer and actress, but her story is also tied to a dramatic and emotional chapter involving her relationship with Sonny Bono. Together, Cher and Sonny had a child named Chaz Bono, who was born as Chastity Bono on March 4, 1969. From the moment he was born, Chaz was in the spotlight, thanks to his famous parents.
Chaz’s name came from the film Chastity, which Sonny produced. In the movie, Cher played a young, bisexual runaway hippie. Chastity was actually conceived during the filming of the movie.
As a young child, Chaz frequently appeared on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. He would come on stage at the end of the show, right after Sonny and Cher performed their hit song “I Got You Babe.” This made Chaz a familiar face to many American viewers.
But behind the scenes, Chaz was dealing with personal struggles. Growing up, he felt disconnected from other girls and their interests. “I’d look at other girls my age and feel perplexed by their interest in fashion or which boy was the cutest,” Chaz shared with Daily Mail in 2011.
At 18, Chaz came out to his parents as a lesbian. In his book Family Outing: A Guide to the Coming Out Process for Gays, Lesbians, and Their Families, Chaz wrote, “As a child, I always felt there was something different about me.
I’d look at other girls my age and feel perplexed by their obvious interest in the latest fashion, which boy in class was the cutest, and who looked the most like cover girl Christie Brinkley. When I was 13, I finally found a name for exactly how I was different. I realized I was gay.”
Cher was initially stunned by the news. “When I found out Chaz was gay, I didn’t go through it that easily,” Cher admitted in an interview with PrideSource. Chaz himself described the situation, saying his mom “went ballistic” when he first came out to her.
Then, at 39, Chaz began transitioning to become a man. Once again, Cher was taken aback. “When I found out Chaz was [transitioning]… we talked about it a lot, actually. But then Chaz didn’t mention it anymore, so I kind of forgot,” Cher said. “And what I think is, there’s such a fear of losing the child you love, and what will replace that child.”
Cher continued, “I think it’s about the fear, mostly. I felt, who will this new person be? Because I know who the person is now, but who will the new person be and how will it work and will I have lost somebody?”
In 2010, Chaz officially became a man after a California court approved his gender and name change. His transition was documented in the film Becoming Chaz, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The documentary provided a close look at Chaz’s journey and the emotional hurdles he faced.
“My mother went through a kind of mourning period. It was difficult for her, and we didn’t see each other for about the first year of my transition,” Chaz told SBS Australia. One particularly moving part of the documentary featured Cher hearing her child’s new voice for the first time, altered by hormone therapy.
Cher said, “I was hysterical when I heard her voice on her answering machine. It was her old voice. I remember saying, ‘Is there any way I can save it?’ But it was gone. I’ll never hear it again.”
After the documentary, Chaz continued to make waves in Hollywood. In 2011, he became the first transgender man to compete on Dancing with the Stars, marking a historic moment as the first transgender man to appear on a major network TV show for something other than his transgender identity, according to Advocate.com.
Five years later, Chaz starred in five episodes of American Horror Story: Roanoke and played Reverend Rydale on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Chaz had struggled with obesity for years, but his journey toward a healthier lifestyle began with his gender transition. “I would have never been able to do it before,” Chaz told Oprah Winfrey. “I was too disconnected from my body… the dysphoria I had with my body was too much to be able to have cared enough about to do anything like that.”
When Chaz joined Dancing with the Stars, he weighed 250 pounds. The rigorous training and physical demands of the show helped him lose weight quickly. Even after the show, Chaz continued his commitment to a healthy lifestyle and has lost even more weight since then. New photos show a far healthier Chaz compared to a decade ago.
However, the weight loss journey wasn’t entirely smooth. Losing so much weight left Chaz with sagging skin. “It’s not fun, but it was worth it, because I look better now. I’ve cut out, you know, 99 percent of grains from my diet,” Chaz revealed. “I pretty much eat vegetables, meat, fruit, nuts… My birthday is the one day of the year I’ll do cake,” he told Extra TV.
Cher has been incredibly proud of her son’s achievements. “He did it all by himself. He made up his own mind and he did it. And it was like what—85, 90 pounds. Wow! … I don’t know if I’d have that courage,” Cher said in 2013.
Seeing Chaz now, it’s clear he’s been through a lot but has emerged stronger. His journey is a powerful story of resilience and self-discovery. If you find his story inspiring, please share this article!
