Cher reveals ‘special arrangement’ with David Geffen and life with gay flatmate

Pop icon Cher has opened up in a revealing new interview on the Armchair Expert podcast about two little-known yet pivotal periods in her life: living with a gay flatmate as a teenager, and her unusual romance with industry titan David Geffen.

At just 16, the star left home and moved into a flat with a woman who had previously worked for her mother. “When my mum knew I was going, they said, ‘You have to live with her… she was somebody… to keep a rein on me,’” Cher explained. The duo quickly embraced freedom, lighting up cigarettes in every room and installing ashtrays throughout the flat.

It was during this phase that Cher first encountered Sonny Bono - not for her, but for her flatmate. As she recalled, “So you're living with her, and then you meet Sonny. … He likes my girlfriend. And my girlfriend is gay.” Eventually, when her flatmate moved out, Cher reluctantly transitioned to cohabiting with Sonny, who bluntly confessed, “I don’t find you particularly attractive,” though Cher, claiming to be 18, accepted his invitation to stay. 

Cher detailed how her marriage and business partnership with Sonny turned sour over time. Enter David Geffen, the future music mogul who was still closeted during the 1970s. The two met at a party hosted by Lou Adler, where Geffen helped her untangle binding “Cher Enterprises” contracts controlled predominantly by Sonny. “You’ve got to get out of this,” he urged.

On the nature of their relationship, Cher emphasised: “It was a different thing; he never had been in love with anybody […] I was the first person that he had real feelings for, so we had a special arrangement.” She credited Geffen with giving her the courage to sever both her marital and business ties with Sonny. Despite the complexities, she remains close friends with Geffen to this day.