Who Is Cher's Boyfriend, Alexander Edwards?

Age is but a number for Cher and her much younger beau Alexander "AE" Edwards. The so-called "Goddess of Pop" made headlines when she confirmed her relationship with Edwards in November 2022. The pair first sparked romance rumors after being photographed holding hands during a night out in Los Angeles, per People. In a recent chat with the magazine, Cher revealed that she and her music executive boyfriend first crossed paths at a Paris Fashion Week event in September 2022. Despite swearing off dating much younger men, the "Little Man" singer said she broke her own rule for Edwards, who happens to be 40 years her junior. "No matter what happens, I love being with him. He makes me laugh, and we have fun."

Cher is, in fact, no stranger to dating men who are years, even decades, her junior. She has been linked to the likes of Val Kilmer, Tom Cruise, Rob Camilletti, Richie Sambora and Ron Zimmerman in the past. Moreover, she has been married twice: first to Sonny Bono from 1964 to 1975 and then to Gregg Allman from 1975 to 1979. Speaking with Extra in 2023, Cher addressed the significant age gap between her and Edwards and how this impact their relationship. "Sometimes I'm talking to him and he has no idea who I'm talking about," she said. "Most of my references, he'll look at me and go, 'I wasn't born yet.'" Regardless of the divide, Cher stressed that she and Edwards really get along. "We have a great time together. We can talk music. We can talk about everything... We just get each other," she said.

So, what do we know about Cher's new "toy boy"? Alexander "AE" Edwards is a music executive for Sony Music Publishing. He is closely associated with Tyga as the rapper's constant collaborator and appointed president of his music label Last Kings Records, which he founded in 2015. In addition to working with Sony and Tyga, Edwards has also served as the vice president of artists and repertoire (A&E) for the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings under the Universal Music Group. As VP of A&E, he was responsible for discovering and working with up-and-coming artists, such as the late Pop Smoke and YK Osiris, according to PopSugar. 

Though heavily involved in music, Edwards told Stoned Fox magazine that he also wishes to dip his toes into acting. He said, "I want to play roles that I may not have an understanding of, being that I may not have experienced those things that the character has been through/going through, but still knowing they are things everyday people go through... I want people to not take life so seriously but to seriously love life."

Prior to romancing Cher, Edwards was in a long-term relationship with model and rapper Amber Rose, with whom he shares son Slash Electric Alexander Edwards. He and Rose split up for good in 2021 after she accused of him of cheating on her with at least 12 different women during their relationship — a claim which he later confirmed. Despite being serious about his love for Rose, Edwards said that he isn't cut out for a monogamous relationship. "It's just who I am," he said, via Hollywood Life. 

Despite his earlier statement about being a non-monogamist, a source told People in February that Alexander "AE" Edwards and Cher are in a very serious relationship. "They are very much in love," the insider said of the couple, adding, "They're not talking marriage or anything like that, but they are exclusive and serious." In fact, rumors have swirled that Edwards and Cher had become engaged after the pop superstar posted a photo of what appears to be an engagement ring from Edwards on Christmas Day 2022. "THERE R NO WORDS, ALEXANDER A.E.," she wrote, adding that she wished she could show the ring to her late mother, singer Georgia Holt, who had just passed away at age 96. 

However, multiple sources denied the engagement buzz, with one insider telling Us Weekly that the pair were never engaged and that the diamond sparkler was just a thoughtful gift from Edwards. They also said that Cher was aware of the skepticism and speculations surrounding her relationship with the music producer, but that, in true Cher fashion, "she couldn't care less" and is, in fact, loving how invested the public appears to be in the relationship.

Speaking to People in October, the "Strong Enough" singer insisted that is very happy in her relationship with Edwards. Reflecting on their unexpected romance and finding love again in her 70s, the icon said, "What I learned is that it's never too late. If you wrote out all the statistics, you would go, 'Well, this is doomed...' But we've been together a year, and if it was just a year, it would've been worth it. I've had the best time."