Jennifer Hudson and iHeartRadio Icon Award recipient CHER teamed up for an iconic duet at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday evening (April 1).
Watch Jennifer Hudson And Cher Deliver Iconic Duet
The show-stopping performance kicked off with Hudson taking on a cover of CHER’s legendary hit “If I Could Turn Back Time,” where Hudson truly showcased her impressive powerhouse vocals. Following her epic performance of “If I Could Turn Back Time,” CHER stormed the stage with a stunning performance of her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, “Believe.”
Halfway through the song, Hudson joined CHER on stage to finish out the performance together. Together, the pair traded verses and joined forces for the chorus of the tune. The unforgettable performance will certainly go down in history as one of the best moments in iHeartRadio Music Awards history.
CHER Accepts iHeartRadio Icon Award
Moments after their performance, CHER was handed the iHeartRadio Icon Award by Meryl Streep, CHER’s longtime friend who starred in the 1983 drama Silkwood with her, who also introduced the performance.
“Thank you! If you knew me, you would know that I just wrote my speech while I was getting my eyelashes on,” CHER began, before turning towards Streep and Hudson to graciously thank each of them for being by her side for this career milestone.
She then poked fun at her wardrobe before continuing on with her acceptance speech, saying, “before I start, there are people some place that said, ‘doesn’t that b**ch have more than one pair of pants?’ [and] I’ve had these pants for 40 years. I thought we should come here and accept this award together.”
“Blessed And Lucky” To Receive The Prestigious Honor
Launching into her speech, CHER admitted that she feels “blessed and lucky” to be honored with the biggest award of the evening.
“First of all, I feel really blessed and lucky with this award and I feel lucky to have people that have stayed with me for all these years. Most of you weren’t born, but a lot of people have,” she joked before going on to share an inspirational message with viewers.
“When I was young, there was nothing about me that yelled CHER. So, it was about having a dream and I got this dream when I was 5 years old, I went to see Cinderella and I thought yes. I said ‘mom, could I be Cinderella,’ and she said ‘maybe someday.’ But I want to tell you this because I don’t usually talk about it,” CHER continued. “I have been down-and-out so many times that you could not believe it… Dropped by record companies, and couldn’t get a job and at that time I went to Las Vegas, which they called the Elephant’s graveyard, and I had a huge show, lots of people, bungees and all that, and they just said, ‘Oh, she’s so over.’ But I never gave up my dream.”
She then went on to offer advice to anyone chasing a dream that seems far-fetched or unattainable. “So, what I want to tell you from my experience is… Have a dream and then don’t give it up no matter what happens because I know from my own experience that If you have a dream and stick with it, you will have a wonderful life, and it will probably come true.”
CHER concluded her speech with a simple, heartfelt “thank you” after she acknowledged her team.
2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Hosted by Ludacris, the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards will air live from Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday, April 1 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET live / PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The awards show can also be heard on iHeartRadio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.
