Cher Opens Up About Four-Decade Age Difference with Boyfriend Alexander Edwards, Her Christmas Album, and More

In a wide-ranging interview, Cher talked about her four-decades-younger boyfriend, her brand new Christmas album, the reason she thinks she might leave the U.S., and more.

Just Jared reported that the global superstar, 77, opened up to UK newspaper the Guardian. The occasion for the chat was the Oct. 20 release of "Christmas," Cher's 27th studio album, which is more than a collection of covers of standard classics – in fact, "half the songs are new," the Guardian noted, "including the catchy dance track, 'DJ, Play a Christmas Song,' which evokes a night that's anything but silent."

"More than anything, I wanted this album to be fun," Cher told the newspaper after saying that she'd initially rejected the idea of a Christmas album outright before reconsidering – though determined to make a holiday-themed disc that "doesn't scream 'Christmas' every second and isn't filled with songs you know by name." There are a few tracks that fall into that category, however, such as Cher's sassy cover of "Santa Baby."

The account noted that Stevie Wonder appears on "Christmas," but "The album's most surprising guest star is Tyga who raps on 'Drop Top Sleigh Ride.'"

"He was brought in by his producer, Alexander Edwards, who Cher has been dating for the last year," the Guardian added, which opened the conversation up to the celebrated May/December love affair... to a limited extent, that is.

"At 37, he's 40 years her junior, which inspired her to tell him early on, 'Dude, put this on paper. It doesn't look good,'" Cher regaled. "Alexander told me, 'Well, it couldn't do any harm.'"

"I don't know what happened, but we're together," Cher went on to add, drawing the line at that and refusing to spill anything more about the love affair. "There are things people get to know," the iconic "Believe" singer declared, "and there are things people don't get to know."

But Cher was more willing to delve into the topic of how the Republican party has made anti-trans legislation – and a broader attack on the LGBTQ+ community – the basis for a fresh push to consolidate power by appealing to the homophobic impulses of its base. Continual slanders against the LGBTQ+ population – including committed same-sex couples – and repetitions of the falsehood that gay and trans people "groom" children seem to be moving the needle on public perception; a Gallup poll in June seemed to show that support for same-sex relationships is evaporating under the heat of anti-LGBTQ+ lies.

It's a subject with personal resonance to the Goddess of Pop.

"It's something like 500 bills they're trying to pass," Cher noted. "I was with two trans girls the other night – and of course my own child [Chaz is trans]. I was saying 'We've got to stand together.' I don't know what their eventual plan is for trans people. I don't put anything past them."

"She's equally horrified by the possibility of Trump regaining power," the Guardian relayed. The one-term president continues to lead the pack of Republican contenders for next year's presidential election despite multiplying legal woes that don't seem to dent the enthusiasm of his fervent supporters.

"I almost got an ulcer the last time" Trump was in the Oval Office, Cher said. "If he gets in, who knows? This time I will leave" the United States, she vowed.

Another crucial reason to get out the vote in '24!