Is Steve Sarkisian related to Cher Sarkisian? More about the Longhorns HC and pop icon's family histories
Steve Sarkisian and pop icon Cher share the same surname, as the pop icon's full name is Cherilyn Sarkisian. Over the years, this has led some fans on Twitter to wonder about a possible connection between the football coach and the musician, however, there is no evidence to suggest the two are related.
The question arose because the two share the same surname, Sarkisian, which is relatively uncommon in America and has Armenian origins. Both Steve Sarkisian and Cher are Armenian on their dad's side of the family. Steve is Irish on his mother's side, whereas Cher claims English, German, Irish, French, Dutch, and Cherokee heritage, as per ET.
Despite the shared name, there does not appear to be any familial relation between them and the surname is common in Armenia.
Cher and Steve Sarkisian have a California connection
The Texas Longhorns HC and Cher have one other thing that connects them and that is where they were born. Both are from California, albeit from different cities.
Steve was born in Torrance, California in 1974. He is the youngest of seven children. His father, Seb, emigrated from Iran to the US from Iran, whereas his mother, Sally, was born in the US and her parents were of Irish descent.
Cher was born in El Centro, California in 1946 to actress Georgia Holt and truck driver John Sarkisian. Although they were born in the same region, it was nearly 30 years apart.
More about Steve Sarkisian's family life
Texas Longhorns' coach Steve Sarkisian has been married twice. His first marriage was to Stephanie Sarkisian in 1997, and they divorced in 2015. They have three children, two daughters and a son. His son, Brady, joined the Texas football team as a walk-on in 2023.
Sarkisian married Loreal Smith, a former collegiate track star and coach, in 2020. Smith was widely known as the "First Lady of Texas football." However, after four years of marriage, the couple announced their divorce.
More about Cher's family history
Cher's parents got divorced when she was still an infant, and her mother went on to get married six more times. Cher herself has married twice, and Sonny Bono was her first husband.
The couple got married in 1964 when Cher was only 18 years old and were married for 11 years until their divorce in 1975. They had one child, Chaz Bono.
Only four days after the couple was officially divorced, Cher married again. This time she married rock musician, Gregg Allman. The marriage lasted until 1979. It has been reported that the relationship fell apart because of Allman's alleged drug use. The couple had a son, Elijah Allman.
Since getting divorced in 1979, Cher has not married again. She has continued her music and acting career and these days is colloquially known as the "Goddess of Pop."