Fans raised concerns about Chaka Khan’s behavior after the music icon appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Sunday night, Sept. 14, where she struggled to answer several questions and frequently tugged at her hair throughout the broadcast.
During the Bravo Clubhouse episode, which also featured Patti LaBelle and Stephanie Mills, Khan fidgeted and appeared unsettled as host Andy Cohen and virtual audience members asked about moments from her long career. At one point she recounted falling onstage and told LaBelle, "I don't recall. It's been a long, long time." When asked whether she had met a member of the Beatles, Khan said she had met John Lennon and then paused, saying, "at the studio we go to, actually … what's his name?" Cohen prompted with Paul McCartney's name before Khan appeared to remember him.
The 71-year-old singer also showed confusion about recent collaborative moments. When two virtual fans asked how a duet with Dua Lipa on "Ain't Nobody" at Lipa's concert earlier this month came about, Khan first denied they had performed the song together, then said they had "jammed" onstage after Lipa asked her to join. She also struggled to name which Spice Girl attended one of her gigs and could not immediately recall which artists performed covers of her work, despite being covered by stars including Ariana Grande, Hayley Williams, Kelly Clarkson and the late Whitney Houston.
Khan was unable to name performers who took part in her 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction medley, which included Sia, H.E.R., Common and Jazmine Sullivan. "Who was performing? I forgot. I don't know," she said on the program, adding, "I liked them all."
Viewers reacted on social media, with some expressing alarm and others noting nervous energy. One user asked, "Does Chaka have dementia? She doesn't remember shit!!" Another wrote, "Chaka cannot sit still and she is acting strange," while a third posted, "Chaka really somewhere on another planet right now." Other posts were more complimentary: "Patti, Chaka & Stephanie look amazing as always on #WWHL. Love them! Chaka is hilarious," one fan tweeted.
Watch What Happens Live airs Sunday through Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo; new episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock. Andy Cohen, the show's host, facilitated the clubhouse conversation and took viewer-submitted questions during the episode.
Khan, a multi-decade recording artist and 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, has a long public profile dating to the 1970s with Rufus and her solo work. Representatives for Khan did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the broadcast. The singer's behavior on the show prompted discussion online, but no official statement about her health or condition has been issued.