Cher Defends 40-Year Age Gap With Boyfriend AE Edwards

Cher is defending her relationship with music executive Alexander “AE” Edwards, who is 40 years her junior. Over the weekend, the living legend was seen holding hands with the 36-year-old Edwards, whom she met during Paris Fashion Week in September. Edwards previously dated model Amber Rose, with whom he shares a 3-year-old son Slash.

The “Believe” singer responded to several fans in tweets that were captured by The Shade Room. In one, a fan praised her for dating someone 40 years younger than her. “Love doesn’t know math, it sees,” she wrote in response. “Rinpoche told me, ‘Some [people] meet, others recognize.’” Cher, 76, also told one fan that everyone in her family has already met Edwards, although her friend Paulette Howell has not.

Another person asked Cher if she was aware of Edwards’ history of infidelity. “Babe, English is my first language,” she wrote. “I’m in [love], not blinded by it. Know what I know… smoke doesn’t always mean [fire].”

On Sunday, Cher also tweeted a picture of Edwards, adding a heart emoji next to his name. She also published another message, disputing the characterization of her tweets about the relationship. “I’m not defending us,” she wrote. “Haters are gonna hate… doesn’t matter that we’re happy & not bothering anyone.”

Another fan told Cher they were nervous about Edwards trying to take advantage of her. “As we all know… I wasn’t born yesterday & what I know for sure… there are no guarantees,” Cher replied. “Anytime you make a choice you take a chance. I’ve always taken chances… It’s who I am.”

Edwards is a rapper on Last Kings Records, an indie label run by Tyga, reports PEOPLE. He was previously linked to Rose for three years. Their relationship ended in August 2021, when Rose appeared to accuse Edwards of cheating on her with at least a dozen people. Edwards later admitted to his infidelities.

“I thought, ‘S—, I got caught.’ I got caught before, you know what I’m saying? And she’s just had enough, obviously,” Edwards said in an Instagram Live interview with DJ Big Van after Rose went public with her allegations. “At the end, I don’t think anybody can be happy or successful if you’re not truly yourself, whether other people understand it or blame you,” he later said. “It’s just who I am, and it’s not how she wants to be loved.”

Cher was previously married to Sonny Bono from 1964 to 1975 and to Gregg Allman from 1975 to 1979. During the 1980s, she famously dated several men decades younger than her, including Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise. During a 2021 interview with PEOPLE, Cher said she liked dating younger men because she would “have never had a date” if she didn’t. “Younger men weren’t intimidated by older women,” she said. “But older men in my age category, they weren’t having it.”