Cher Sounds Off on Chaz Bono's DWTS Elimination, "Disrespectful" Judges

Ousted contestant's mama calls into Anderson to defend him from Dancing's "rude" judges

By Josh Grossberg Oct 27, 2011 9:48 PMTags

The controversy stirred up by Chaz Bono's ejection from this week's Dancing With the Stars after judge Bruno Tonioli's obnoxious remark likening the transgender icon to a "fluffy penguin" is not going gently into that good night.

At least not if Cher has something to say about it.

The Grammy- and Oscar-winning diva phoned in today to Anderson Cooper's syndicated eponymous gabfest where Bono appeared as a guest to voice her disgust at the way the judges of the hit ABC dance competition treated her son.

"I just thought they were rude and it was gratuitous rudeness," Cher replied when asked by the CNN anchor whether Bruno and fellow judges Len Goodman and Carrie Ann Inaba were unfair. "I was just pissed off. I was really upset. Not that Chaz was voted off but that they were so disrespectful."

The singer and actress also expressed pride for Chaz's decision to open up about the transgender surgery he underwent between 2008 and 2010 (before then he was known as Chastity) and his desire to become an activist on behalf of the transgender community.

"There are some people that are never going to be able to move out of their comfort zone, but I think that when people can see Chaz and see what a wonderful person he is, and kind and funny and all of that, then maybe they could just relax off of what their preconceptions are," said Cher.

When asked by Anderson whether she had her own trouble moving beyond her "comfort zone" when Bono informed her of his decision to become a man, the Moonstruck star candidly admitted it wasn't easy for her either.

"S--t, yes," she added. "As a mom, you have a child and then all of a sudden, you have a different child, but you have the same child. So it's very hard to kind of twist your mind around to the adjustment. But then when you look at it, and you're around your child, you just think, 'Oh, no difference.' Same child, different wrapping."

So when Chaz got the boot at the end of Tuesday's results show, Cher naturally did what any mother would do: She stuck up for her boy by ripping Bruno a new one on Twitter.

"I COULD TEACH HIS LITTLE ARM WAVING ASS SOME MANNERS ! Critique CHAZ'S DANCE STYLE, MOVEMENTS ETC,.BUT DON'T MAKE FUN OF MY CHILD ON NAT.TV," she tweeted.

For his part, Chaz told E! News after he was voted off that he was pretty peeved too—not at the low scores he and partner Lacy Schwimmer racked up, but at "the comments toward me personally."

The episode of Anderson featuring Chaz and Cher is scheduled to air next Tuesday.