Editing Cher (section)

=== 1992–1998: From A-list actress to "Infomercial Queen"; death of Sonny Bono ===
In the early 1990s, Cher contracted the [[Epstein–Barr virus]] and developed [[myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome]], leaving her too exhausted for music or film projects.<ref name=Kennedy-1996/>{{sfn|Sonneborn|2002|p=40}} She declined leading roles in ''[[Thelma & Louise]]'' and ''[[The War of the Roses (film)|The War of the Roses]]''.<ref name=Kennedy-1996/> Her next film appearances were [[Cameo appearance|cameos]] in Robert Altman's ''[[The Player (1992 film)|The Player]]'' (1992) and ''[[Prêt-à-Porter (film)|Prêt-à-Porter]]'' (1994).{{sfn|Parish|Pitts|2003|p=152}} To generate income, she appeared in [[infomercial]]s for health, beauty and diet products, earning nearly $10&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=73}}<ref name=Murphy-1994>{{cite news|last=Murphy|first=Ryan|author-link=Ryan Murphy (writer)|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1994/05/30/the-beat-doesnt-go-on-where-the-heck-is-cher/|title=The Beat Doesn't Go On: Where The Heck Is Cher?|newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|date=May 30, 1994|access-date=January 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201022311/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1994-05-30/lifestyle/9405280175_1_cher-strung-beads-epstein-barr-virus|archive-date=February 1, 2016}}</ref> Critics saw it as a sellout and speculated her film career was over,<ref name=Murphy-1994/><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Murphy|first=Ryan|url=https://www.ew.com/article/1993/05/21/cher-her-movie-career-dead|title=Cher: Is her movie career dead?|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=May 21, 1993|access-date=January 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120043839/http://www.ew.com/article/1993/05/21/cher-her-movie-career-dead|archive-date=January 20, 2016}}</ref> with ''Entertainment Weekly'' stating she had eroded her "hard-won [[A-list]] actress status".<ref name=Kennedy-1996/> The ads were parodied on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' and referenced in ''[[Clueless]]'' (1995), where protagonist Cher Horowitz jokes she was named after a "great [singer] of the past who now does infomercials".{{sfn|Bego|2001|p=238}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tribecafilm.com/news/tribeca-cinemas-summer-series-clueless-august-14 |title=Make A Cameo At Tribeca Cinemas For ''Clueless'' On August 14 |publisher=[[Tribeca Festival]] |first=Karen |last=Kemmerle |date=July 30, 2014 |access-date=March 4, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304144948/https://tribecafilm.com/news/tribeca-cinemas-summer-series-clueless-august-14 |archive-date=March 4, 2025}}</ref> Cher later reflected, "Suddenly I became the Infomercial Queen&nbsp;... people stripped me of all my other things."{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=73}}

[[File:Cher singing.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Cher sings into a microphone, her long dark hair framing her face, wearing a simple, casual light-colored outfit and a ring.|Cher performing in New York, 1996]]

In 1993, Cher re-recorded "I Got You Babe" with [[MTV]]'s animated duo [[List of Beavis and Butt-Head characters|Beavis and Butt-Head]], [[Self-deprecation|mocking her own image]] as they introduce her as "a chick that's got tattoos on her butt&nbsp;... who's older&nbsp;... done it a lot of times [and] used to be married to some dork" (referring to Sonny Bono).<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 14, 1993 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-14-ca-56606-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618123011/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-14-ca-56606-story.html |archive-date=June 18, 2021 |access-date=March 8, 2025 |first=Steve |last=Hochman |title=Cher Gets Cheeky with Beavis and Butt-Head}}</ref> She topped the UK singles chart in 1995 with the charity single "[[Love Can Build a Bridge]]", alongside [[Chrissie Hynde]], [[Neneh Cherry]] and Eric Clapton.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Chart Beat: 2Pac Finally Wins ''Against The World''|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6gsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98|access-date=January 17, 2016|date=April 1, 1995|last=Bronson|first=Fred|author-link=Fred Bronson}}</ref> After signing with Warner Music UK's [[Warner Music Group|WEA]] label, Cher released ''[[It's a Man's World (Cher album)|It's a Man's World]]'' (1995), an album of songs originally performed by men.<ref name=Bessman-1996/> Critics praised its R&B influences and Cher's vocal growth,{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=82}} with [[Stephen Holden]] of ''The New York Times'' calling it a "soulful collection of grown-up pop songs".<ref name=Holden-1996>{{cite news|first=Stephen|last=Holden|author-link=Stephen Holden|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/30/arts/pop-jazz-queen-of-the-comeback-cher-tries-yet-again.html |title=Queen of the Comeback, Cher Tries Yet Again|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 30, 1996|access-date=January 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118021350/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/30/arts/pop-jazz-queen-of-the-comeback-cher-tries-yet-again.html |archive-date=November 18, 2015}}</ref> The album features "[[Walking in Memphis#Cher version|Walking in Memphis]]", certified [[BPI certification|silver]] by the [[British Phonographic Industry (BPI)]], and the UK top-ten single "[[One by One (Cher song)|One by One]]".<ref name=UKChartHistory/> ''Man's World'' reached the top ten in Austria<ref>{{cite web |language=de |url=https://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Cher&titel=It%27s+a+Man%27s+World&cat=a |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209171140/https://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Cher&titel=It%27s+A+Man%27s+World&cat=a |archive-date=December 9, 2024 |access-date=March 9, 2025 |url-status=live |title=Austriancharts.at – Cher – ''It's a Man's World'' |publisher=Hung Medien}}</ref> and the UK.<ref name=UKChartHistory/> A remixed US version, shifting from rock to a more radio-friendly sound, was commercially unsuccessful, peaking at number 64 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9AsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24|title=Dance Trax: Daphne Gets New Lease On Her Career With ''Rent''|first=Larry|last=Flick|date=May 11, 1996|access-date=February 13, 2016}}</ref>{{sfn|Bego|2001|p=259}}

In 1996, Cher starred alongside [[Demi Moore]] and [[Sissy Spacek]] in ''[[If These Walls Could Talk]]'', a three-part [[Anthology film|anthology]] [[TV film]] about [[abortion]]. The project marked Cher's directorial debut, as she both directed and starred in the film's final segment, playing a doctor targeted by an [[Anti-abortion movements|anti-abortion group]].{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=82}} ''Walls'' became [[HBO]]'s highest-rated original movie to date, drawing 6.9&nbsp;million viewers.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/2000/tv/news/hbo-climbing-another-walls-1117779197/ |first=Paula |last=Bernstein |title=HBO climbing another ''Walls'' |date=March 7, 2000 |access-date=February 5, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206084155/http://variety.com/2000/tv/news/hbo-climbing-another-walls-1117779197/ |archive-date=February 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/12/arts/tv-notes-going-out-blazing.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|title=TV Notes; Going Out Blazing|first=Bill|last=Carter|date=April 12, 2000|access-date=February 5, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527133701/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/12/arts/tv-notes-going-out-blazing.html |archive-date=May 27, 2015}}</ref>
Cher's first leading role in a [[Movie theater|theatrical release]] in six years came with [[Paul Mazursky]]'s [[Black comedy|dark comedy]] ''[[Faithful (1996 film)|Faithful]]'' (1996), in which she played a suicidal woman whose husband hires a hitman ([[Chazz Palminteri]]) to kill her.{{sfn|Berman|2001|pp=83–84}} Although praised for her performance, with ''The New York Times'' noting she "does her game best to find comic potential in a victim's role", Cher refused to promote the film, calling it "horrible".<ref name=Kennedy-1996/> ''Faithful'' was both a critical failure and a [[box-office bomb]], grossing $2&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250308202104/https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/05/19/hollywoods-fatal-femmes-springs-box-office-report-shows-that-so-far-1996-has-not-been-the-year-of-the-woman/ |url-status=dead |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/05/19/hollywoods-fatal-femmes-springs-box-office-report-shows-that-so-far-1996-has-not-been-the-year-of-the-woman/ |date=May 19, 1996 |title=Hollywood's Fatal Femmes Spring's Box Office Report Shows That So Far 1996 Has Not Been the Year of the Woman |archive-date=March 8, 2025 |access-date=March 8, 2025}}</ref>

Following Sonny Bono's death in a skiing accident in 1998, Cher delivered a tearful [[eulogy]] at his funeral, calling him "the most unforgettable character" she had met.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tearful Cher remembers Sonny's wit, tenacity|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19980110&id=uaoyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6636,3792974|access-date=January 17, 2016|newspaper=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|date=January 10, 1998}}</ref> She paid tribute to him by hosting the CBS special ''[[Sonny & Me: Cher Remembers]]'', which aired on May 20, 1998.{{sfn|Bego|2001|p=281}} That month, Sonny and Cher received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] for their work on television.<ref name=walkoffame>{{cite web |url=http://www.walkoffame.com/sonny-and-cher |title=Sonny & Cher |publisher=[[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] |access-date=January 17, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308040851/http://www.walkoffame.com/sonny-and-cher |archive-date=March 8, 2016}}</ref> Later that year, Cher published ''[[The First Time (memoir)|The First Time]]'', a collection of autobiographical essays of "first-time" events in her life. Critics praised the book as sincere and relatable.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=90}} The [[Manuscript (publishing)|manuscript]] was nearly complete when Sonny died, and Cher was initially reluctant to include his death, concerned it might appear exploitative. She told ''Rolling Stone'', "I might have [ignored it] if I cared more about what people think than what I know is right for me."{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=91}}