Cher details major drama on Burlesque, on-set…
That’s showbiz.
Cher and Kristen Bell mirrored on their expertise working on the drama-filled “Burlesque” set when they reunited on Monday’s episode of “Armchair Expert,” hosted by Bell’s husband, Dax Shepard.
“It could have been a really good, fun movie — except for you know who,” Cher said on the podcast. “Except for both of them.”
Cher on “Armchair Expert.” Armchair Expert Podcast
Cher in “Burlesque.” ©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett Collection
The “Believe” singer clarified that she wasn’t referring to any “cast members,” as Bell, 45, chimed in, “It was a hard shoot.”
While the 2 ladies didn’t elaborate, Shepard, 51, determined to give some backstory.
“I can say, not being involved in it, is there was a romantic relationship happening for people that were very high above and that was playing out on set quite frequently and dramatically and uniquely to anyone that has been in show business,” Shepard explained.
Kristen Bell and Cher speaking about “Burlesque.” Armchair Expert Podcast
Dax Shepard internet hosting his podcast “Armchair Expert.” Armchair Expert Podcast
“Well, there was another thing that I cannot mention — but I can’t mention it,” Cher added.
The pop star also claimed that a male exec said at the time, “I’m cutting that song out because I don’t want Cher to ruin my movie.”
“What? I don’t remember that,” Bell responded.
“I remember a lot of drama,” the “Nobody Wants This” star told Cher, “but also the way I get through dramatic or chaotic situations is to find someone to hold hands with in the corner and just laugh at everything. So I was either doing that with you or Stanley [Tucci].”
Cher in “Burlesque.” ©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett Collection
Kristen Bell in “Burlesque.” ©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett Collection
Christina Aguilera, Cher in “Burlesque.” ©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett Collection
Cher remembered bonding with Bell when they have been co-stars.
“We got along so well. We were very simpatico and I respected her a lot,” Cher shared. “I didn’t know who she was, but she was good.”
“Burlesque” was directed and written by Steven Antin and starred Cher, Bell, Christina Aguilera, Tucci, Julianne Hough, Alan Cumming, Cam Gigandet and Peter Gallagher.
Around the time of the movie’s release, reviews claimed that Antin’s romantic relationship with Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper created rigidity on the set.
Steve Antin and Clint Culpepper at the “Burlesque” premiere in Los Angeles in Nov. 2010. Getty Images
Steve Antin attends the 2011 Golden Globe Awards. Getty Images
Clint Culpepper attends the 2014 Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation Gala in Chicago. Getty Images
The pair, who have been courting for 20 years at the time, allegedly had “jaw-dropping” clashes in entrance of the forged and crew, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
During one incident, Culpepper reportedly poured an iced tea over Antin’s head, forcing Antin to recoil backwards into a rack of garments, a source on the project claimed.
The heated exchanges have been allegedly so dangerous that at one level Cher told Culpepper, “Clint, I would like a calmer set.”
The insider also claimed that Aguilera tearfully turned to her supervisor, Irving Azoff, who told Culpepper, “Dude, she came from an abused childhood . . . You can’t yell like this.”
Antin and Culpepper reportedly cut up close to when the film got here out.
Cher, Steven Antin and Christina Aguilera at the “Burlesque” premiere in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images
Steve Antin attends the “Burlesque: The Musical” premiere in London in July 2025. Getty Images
Despite the on-set drama, “Burlesque” was a big success, grossing almost $100 million at the worldwide box workplace and profitable the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for Cher’s efficiency of “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.”
Cher has criticized “Burlesque” over the years.
“It wasn’t a good film,” she beforehand told The Times. “It had a few good moments, but I didn’t even like my performance that much. What, I don’t have a brain? I’m old but I’m still pretty on top of everything.”
Cher, Cam Gigandet in “Burlesque.” ©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett Collection
Cher, Christina Aguilera in “Burlesque.” ©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett Collection
In a 2013 interview with The Guardian, she called Antin a “really terrible director.”
“I remember him saying to me, I don’t care about what you say, I just want to shoot the dance numbers,” Cher recalled. “Had it been shorter, it would have squeaked by and been a really good popcorn movie.”
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