Cher Once Babysat Red Hot Chili Peppers Singer Anthony Kiedis: ‘She Was Fit and Fine’
Could you imagine having Cher as a babysitter? According to Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis, she once looked after him when he was in early adolescence. And one conclusion he drew from the experience was that the music icon was “fit and fine.”
What else did Kiedis reveal about the night he stayed over with Cher? And what did she say to him when he asked her about the memory later? Read on to find out.
How Anthony Kiedis was exposed to Hollywood
Before Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kiedis was part of the Hollywood scene because his father was an actor who went by Blackie Dammett professionally. He appeared as an extra in the movie Lethal Weapon and on shows like Night Court, but he was also an alleged drug dealer.
In Kiedis’ memoir, Scar Tissue, he wrote about hanging out with his father’s famous friends, sometimes partying hard at a tender age. He began early habits that put him on a path leading to addiction. But Sonny Bono, his godfather, provided a more stable influence in his life (per Biography).
Bono sometimes had Kiedis stay at his mansion. And once, when he wasn’t available, the young rocker spent a memorable night with his ex-wife instead (per Grunge).
Anthony Kiedis said Cher was ‘fit and fine’ when she babysat him
On an episode of Carpool Karaoke, Kiedis told host James Corden about his experience with Cher as a babysitter, which he noted didn’t happen on “a regular basis.”
Kiedis recalled that she once watched him when he was around 12. He wasn’t sure how old she was, though. “You know, when you’re 12, you don’t know how old adults are,” he explained. “But she was fit and fine, and I knew that.”
For the record, Cher was born in 1946, while Kiedis came along in 1962. So, she was likely in her early thirties when this all allegedly went down. The singer explained he’d “just kinda hit that hormonal plateau” and was “just touching it,” so he noticed but added he wasn’t “all into it” yet.
As for what the two got into while he was there, Kiedis said he put on his “jammies,” and they spent some time together. “We hung out,” he shared. “I slept in her bed.”
Anthony Kiedis said Cher didn’t remember the time she babysat him
After hearing the incredible story, Corden was curious whether Kiedis had ever spoken to Cher about that night. And he once brought it up to the “If I Could Turn Back Time” singer, but it stood out more in his memory than hers. He recalled, “I asked her, and she was like, ‘What are you talking about?'”
But Corden thought the pop icon was holding something back. “She’s just blacked it out,” he guessed. “I think she knows. I think it’s too painful for her to think about what could have been.”
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