The actor’s career is thriving, but some are unaware that so is his love life. Chaz has been dating actress-turned-charity-worker Shara Blue since 2017. Although the couple isn’t overly public about their relationship, they have shared some special moments on their social media channels in recent months. Let us investigate.
Chaz Sun Bono was born on March 4, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, to the late Sonny Bono and Cher. When Chaz was born, his parents were famous as the singing duo Sonny & Cher, so it’s no surprise that his life story was made public from a young age, although he didn’t necessarily want the spotlight. This could have made his journey to self-awareness and acceptance even more difficult.
Chaz, the hippie couple’s cherubic-looking child, recalled feeling different from the girls in his class, and by the age of 18, he had come out as a lesbian to his parents. Chaz wrote in his autobiography, “Family Outing,”:
“… As a child, I was always aware of something unusual about me. I’d be perplexed by other girls my age’s obvious interest in the latest fashion, which boy in class was the cutest, and who looked the most like cover girl Christie Brinkley. I finally had a name for how I was different when I was 13. I discovered I was gay.”
Chaz came out publicly in an interview with The Advocate in 1995, when he was in his mid-20s. His coming out “catapulted me into a political role that has transformed my life, providing me with affirmation as a lesbian, as a woman, and as an individual,” he wrote in his autobiography.
Even though Cher has long been a gay icon and ally of the LGBT community, Chaz revealed that his mother was initially uncomfortable with the news but eventually came to terms with it. Cher appeared on the cover of The Advocate one year after Chaz came out as the proud mother of a lesbian daughter.
Chaz came out as a transgender man after being an LGBT advocate for over a decade. Chaz spoke with Oprah Winfrey in a 2011 interview, where he opened up about his journey and when he realized he wasn’t born in the right body.
He explained that as a young child, he always felt like a boy and that all of his friends were boys. However, it wasn’t until puberty that he struggled with his female body. He explained to Winfrey:
“As I got older, especially as I approached puberty, it felt like the expectations around me changed or how I was supposed to act, but it also felt like my body was betraying me because I went from a very athletic, you know, straight up and down little kid to a very curvaceous woman, and it was just horrifying to me.”
He went on to say:
“You have this image of yourself, and your body does the polar opposite of what you feel.”
Chaz said that his father accepted his boyish ways as a child more than his mother, but this was probably because he was trying to emulate his father and do everything he did. In contrast, Cher, who saw Chaz as her little girl, probably experienced a disconnect between what she expected her daughter to act like and reality.
According to the Daily Mail, Chaz opened up in the same interview with Winfrey, saying that coming out as a lesbian “worked for a little while,” but he later realized that what he was feeling was something else. He stated:
“I had this notion that, yes, I wished I was a boy and felt more like a boy and all that. But since I wasn’t, I’d have to deal with it. And for some reason, I assumed other lesbians felt the same way and that it was just part of the community.”
He went on to say:
“Then I realized, no, that’s not what a lesbian is. That is what it means to be transgender.”
Chaz’s gender transition began in mid-2008 and was confirmed in June 2009. According to his publicist at the time, as reported by TV Guide:
“Chaz has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity after many years of deliberation. He is proud of his decision and grateful for the love and support he has already received from his loved ones.”
“Chaz hopes that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his coming out did,” they continued. Chaz completed his legal transition in May 2010, when he legally changed his name to Chaz Salvatore Bono. The actor even documented the transition in a 2011 film titled “Becoming Chaz,” which was released the following year. “Becoming Chaz” won the top prize at the 2012 GLAAD Media Awards and was nominated for three Primetime Emmys.
Chaz has struggled with his weight over the years, in addition to his transition journey. In 2012, the actor told Dr. Travis Stork, co-host of “The Doctors” and an ER physician, that growing up skinny was “prized above all else” in his family. He explained that although he “wasn’t an overweight child,” he was “always put on diets.”
Chaz discussed the “pressure to be underweight growing up,” but after struggling with being overweight as an adult, he wanted to change. Chaz vowed to start losing weight after weighing in at 250 pounds in November 2012, according to ABC News. And he was successful: by May 2013, he weighed 190 pounds.
“I feel very satisfied and comfortable with how I eat now, which is amazing and kind of a miracle for me,” the 44-year-old said. “I never imagined I’d be that kind of person!”
The actor said that eating healthier and exercising gave him “a lot more confidence” and that he began to “really like what (he sees) in the mirror.”
A weight-loss journey can be undertaken for a variety of reasons, including health, self-image, and more, and the results usually bring about more than just an attractive figure; it can also change one’s mental state and inspire them to continue progressing in other areas of their life. That appears to be the case for Chaz, who, after reconciling with his identity, moved on to tackling his weight, and his acting career has grown steadily since.
Chaz’s career has never been better since he began living his truth. In 2020, he starred in “Reboot Camp,” a mockumentary film that won the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival. “Reboot Camp” is a comedy about two brothers who start a phony self-help group that becomes wildly successful. Chaz plays Herbie in the film, a character who, according to The Austin Chronicle, “isn’t too far off” from his character in “American Horror Story: Cult,” Gary Longstreet. Chaz told the news organization:
“Herbie just seemed like a weird extension of the character I played in American Horror Story… Herbie was silly and obviously didn’t kill people, but I went in with the mindset of getting completely ensnared and moved, just being so gung-ho in there.”
He explained that, despite the apparent differences between comedy and horror, Chaz, as an actor, doesn’t see much of a difference between the two genres:
“The key is simply to be completely committed to (the performance)… because anything less is a sham. And it works if you are.”
In addition to his work in “Reboot Camp,” Chaz was one of many trans men and women who appeared in Netflix’s 2020 documentary “Disclosure,” which examines Hollywood’s portrayal of transgender people over the years and how it has influenced American culture. Chaz wrote in an Instagram post from 2020:
“I’m honored to be one of the many talented trans actors featured in this incredible documentary. Disclosure investigates transgender representations in media dating back to the silent film era.”
Chaz has found love in the last few years, in addition to his acting career and weight loss journey. Chaz has been in a relationship with Shara Blue, a former actress who is now focusing on charity work, since 2017. Although Blue’s acting career was brief, she appeared alongside Jason Bateman in the 1980s television series “It’s Your Move” when she was only 15.
Chaz first met the mother of one in the spring 2017, but according to the Daily Mail, Blue was not looking for a relationship at the time. However, the two must have clicked because a romance blossomed between them just a few months later. According to the news outlet, the couple had a lot in common, including growing up in the entertainment industry and suffering from drug addictions. However, the pair overcame their demons and found support and happiness together.
Furthermore, each other’s family members support their relationship. In June 2017, Blue was invited to Chaz’s grandmother, Georgia Holt’s, 91st birthday party. In 2018, the couple traveled to Adelaide, Australia, to see Cher perform. Meanwhile, Blue’s son Cooper is the most important person in her life, and Chaz and he get along incredibly, according to the news outlet. According to the Daily Mail’s source:
“When they visit the United States, they make it a point to visit each other’s families. That is extremely important to them. Cher and her mother, Georgia, treat Shara like family. They’re overjoyed that Chaz has found someone who makes him happy.”
The insider described the couple as “a great team” who had traveled worldwide together. However, it appeared that the couple slowed down after Blue revealed that she was battling breast cancer.
She posted a video in October 2021 in which she had her head shaved by a friend after her hair began to fall out due to chemotherapy. She wrote in the caption, “That concludes the hair battle! #freedom #thankyou #newchapter”
Nonetheless, the couple has shared details about their relationship on social media. Chaz shared a photo of the couple in December 2021. The poignant caption read:
“I adore this photo of @sharablue and me. I believe it captures Shara’s incredible strength and dignity throughout her breast cancer treatments this year, as well as how much I adore her and have tried to be a loving, supportive partner.”
The love Chaz and Blue have for each other is touching, so it’s no surprise that Chaz posted a heartfelt anniversary photo in January 2023, bringing a smile to fans’ faces. He wrote in the caption:
“Today marks the sixth anniversary of Shara and me. I’m so grateful to have this incredible woman in my life.”
Many people commented on the photo, expressing their congratulations to the lovely couple. Chaz and Blue appear to be extremely happy, and they have the full support of their respective families. It’s incredibly heartwarming to see Chaz in love after everything he’s been through. We wish this couple the best of luck and hope to see more of them in the future.
Do you like Chaz Bono? Did you know about all of the challenges he’s faced in his life? Did you know he has a partner named Shara Blue? Please let us know, and please forward this so that others can learn about it as well!