Cher & Dawn Open Up About Their Experience On sMothered - Exclusive Interview

Fans have been tuning into TLC to watch mother-daughter duo Dawn and Cher Hubsher ever since 2019. As Dawn and Cher are two of the stars of the reality series "sMothered," viewers have seen them during some of their very best and some of their very worst moments. Yet, even though we've watched some conflict come up on screen, these two are now even closer than ever.

When we last saw them at the end of Season 2, Cher's baby Belle had just been born in New York, and Dawn had just headed back to her hometown in Florida. Since the season ended, a worldwide pandemic hit and made the distance between this mother and daughter seem even wider than before. Lucky for us, we got the chance to chat with them all about it. In an exclusive interview with The List, Dawn and Cher discussed parenting during a pandemic, their favorite memories from shooting the show, and a few exciting details about what we can expect from "sMothered" Season 3.

How did you two initially get involved with "sMothered"?

Cher: Well, we saw a casting for mothers and daughters who were best friends, and my mom and I are just — we're so close. My mom's always been my best friend, and so when we saw that, we were like, "Oh, this sounds fun. Why not?" We are all about creating memories. So we applied, and then we had an interview, and then another interview, and then the rest was history. It was so fun getting to watch Season 1, and then Season 2 was really cool. Getting to watch my birth story was so fun, and getting to just look back on all of this is just such an awesome experience. 

Were your husbands and other family members all on board, too?

Cher: Yeah. My husband, he's always like, "You and your mom just do your own thing," ... because we're always kind of in our own little world when we're together. And he's a doctor. He's very serious in his job, but he gets it and he has fun with it too.

What about you, Dawn? You're both married to doctors, so they're busy men!

Dawn: He doesn't get involved with Cher and I. Like Cher was saying, we do our own thing. He says I leave him alone. He's happy.

Was there anything you two didn't want on camera when you first joined the show? "This is kind of our off-limits time," or something we didn't get to see?

Cher: No. I feel that's the part of reality TV. It's ... you're not allowed that off-limits time. You get to see everything, whether it's me breastfeeding or it's — I don't know. If it's anything, I feel nothing is really off-limits, because that's a whole part of being on "sMothered" is that we're welcoming, I think, cameras into our lives and showing who we are authentically. We want the viewers to get to know the real us, not the us that only is on when we're on camera. So you see us in the morning when we wake up, and at night when we're going to sleep, and everything in between.

What made you guys want to share your story with the world?

Dawn: I think we want to show that mothers and daughters and mothers and their sons can be close. You can have a relationship, that it's not weird, and everyone can have their own bond. It doesn't have to be exactly like ours, but that it's a wonderful thing. It's just incredible to have your child — because it's unconditional love you have, so why not show it and see that you can be close?

Cher: My mom and I are very close. We love, like she was saying, getting others to want to experience that bond. So when we got the opportunity, "sMothered," we felt that was only a natural thing for us. Prior to actually even doing "sMothered," we actually wrote a book together called "A Bond That Lasts Forever," which is basically how we got so close and how you can too. We wrote it prior to starting the season, and it launched after the first season aired. And now it's in Barnes & Nobles and Amazon, which is exciting, but for us, we love being close, and we think it's special, and we hope that others can kind of look at our relationship and say, "Wow, I want to be this close too." And in our book, we give tips to do that, too — but on the show, we kind of want people to see that and be like, "Oh, wow, that's kind of cool. It's kind of crazy, but maybe our bond will be different, but it doesn't have to be weird to have a special bond."

Dawn, what is your relationship like with your sons, and how do they feel about your super close relationship with Cher?

Dawn: I'm very close to my sons, too. I have a great relationship with both my boys, and each one is different, and I give quality time to each one of them, but they don't mind my relationship with Cher. It's just on — it's the level of two girls, but my levels with my sons, we're a very close family. I'm very close with them, also.

Cher: I think they're happy that I get her off of their back sometimes, because, for example, when she comes to New York, my brother always wants her to stay here at my place, and then I'll come back.

Dawn: I think because he's still single, so he wants to be left alone more.

You two are not strangers to reality TV. How has this experience been different from "My Super Sweet 16" or "Exiled"? All three are completely different shows, but what has your experience been like this time?

Cher: I think it's something really special about this show is, it's not about just planning a birthday party or moving away. It's really getting to focus on my relationship with my mom, and I feel so close to my mom. We love chatting all the time. We love talking, and this is kind of just who we are. We talk every day, all day long anyways, and so it's kind of getting just to see us without having that birthday party. It's just really getting to know the people behind the party and things like that. So it's been fun, and it's been fun getting to watch our journey unfold and rewatch such special moments in our lives — like my gender reveal — which — or my birth, which now, to me, is such a blur. I wouldn't have even remembered half of what I went through, but because I got to rewatch it on TV, it's just — it's so special to have that.

Dawn: And also now, and also now Cher's a mom, so she could relate to maybe things I have said in the past or how I raised her, because she's a mom, too, now.

Dawn, were you close with your mom growing up too?

Dawn: Yes. I was very close. We spoke every day. My mom just passed away in January from COVID.

I'm so sorry.

Dawn: So it's really hard, but before that we spoke every day...

You've talked briefly on the show about how your relationship has affected your marriages. Can you kind of talk a little more in detail about that?

Dawn: Well, sometimes when, let's say, I'm having dinner with my husband, and Cher calls in, I would actually want to pick up the phone and stop our conversations, but I try to now say I have to give undivided attention to my husband while we have dinner, and — but he understands it. He gets it. It's — it's — he knows that we're so close, and I — and he's used to it. We're married. We're going to be married 38 years now. So...

Congratulations! That's amazing! And you are traveling a lot back and forth to see Cher, too, so you're probably away from him quite a bit.

Dawn: Oh, yes. Well, during COVID, I would drive 17 hours to see Cher and Belle, because I didn't want the distance. I didn't want to not see them. So I would actually drive ... [I] made that trip like three times during COVID.

Yeah, my mom did the same thing. She drove 22 hours to come help with our baby.

Dawn: You can definitely relate.

I can absolutely relate. It's been a tough year with a little one.

Dawn: Yeah. Yes.

Cher: It's so hard, and you want — when you have a little one, it takes a village to raise a child, and [now, we] don't have that really. And so it was so — she was able to come visit, and I'm sure with your mom too, you can totally get that.

Cher, I wanted to ask you about your relationship with your husband, too. How has your relationship with your mom affected him?

Cher: I think, with my husband, he just is always like, "Oh, you have to tell your mom everything?" I think he just gets frustrated with that sense or with my mom and I talking all the time. He feels, "Ugh! Why do you — why do you always have to ask your mom questions?" Or "Can't we just kind of decide on our own?" But I'm just so used to speaking with my mom all day long. We literally talk every day, all day long. We recently started a podcast, which we're — which we've been recording. We're launching in June, but it's — we literally talk nonstop, and that's just who we are, and I think that sometimes gets to him, and sometimes he feels like, "Oh," but, but that's who we are.

Dawn: And that's why we called our podcast "Chattermouth"!

How does it feel when you're watching the show play back and seeing what your sons or your husbands are saying about your relationship? How does that feel to hear what their comments are?

Cher: I think it's interesting to rewatch things, always, looking back. I think it was interesting for my husband to watch things and how people take things. It's always kind of eye-opening for sure. Just to kind of hear how others feel about something or how the world takes something. It's definitely eye-opening and makes you question things and think about things a little bit differently.

Yeah, for sure. What about you, Dawn?

Dawn: I feel they're only getting to see a part of who you are too, so they don't get to see the whole thing always, but I do have a good relationship with Jared, and that's wonderful. Of course, he probably doesn't like that I call so many times a day. I try not to call too much when he's home. She tells me he's home now, so I try to say, "Okay," but that's hard!

Another question that I had to ask you guys is during Season 1, Cher, you told your mom before everyone else that you were pregnant, even though Jared wanted you to wait. From what we saw in the episode, no one ever found out that you told your mom. Did he find out by watching the episode, or did you sit him down beforehand and say, "Hey, in this episode, this is going to happen"?

Cher: I think during the night, during the night he — he did end up finding out. They didn't end up actually airing that part, but he did find out. Yeah. And he pulled me aside. "Did you tell your mom?" "I did. I'm sorry." It didn't end up showing that, but, but yeah, I did end up telling him. I mean, I couldn't — she's hard — she tried to keep a straight face, but she is just very — she has a lot of expression, so...

Dawn: [It's] very hard not to show my — everything.

Cher: I [can tell] from watching us, she hates secrets and she hates — she's not good at keeping [secrets] either, so he found out early on.

That's a big secret to keep. Oh, my gosh! You can't tell anyone.

Dawn: My expression shows it all.

Cher: As hard as it was to decide whether I want to tell her or if I want to listen to Jared and not tell her, I am glad, even though it was hard. I'm glad that I told her, because being able to rewatch her basically go up a million squeals and –

Dawn: I don't know what happened to my voice.

Cher: Yeah, and become so excited. Being able to rewatch that was the best, and every time I watch that part, I cry. It brings tears to my eyes, so it was so special. And so I'm glad that I did that in the end. I had to listen to my gut, and sometimes you just have to make the decision for yourself.

Dawn: And I'm so happy she did that, because we had that special moment. Just the two of us that I'll never forget for the rest of my life.

You could really tell that watching from home. That was such an emotional moment and to be able to have that in video that you can watch again and again, I think it's just amazing.

Dawn: It actually gives me goosebumps just now thinking about it.

Do you guys have a favorite moment from the show?

Cher: I think that's definitely –

Dawn: I think — yeah.

Cher: I have a few favorites. I think I have my top three. I mean, one was telling my mom, the gender reveal and finding out that I was having a little girl, which was just, like, the best. And then the other one was just my birth story, because getting to rewatch that was just the coolest thing ever. So those three of my top three. It's hard to pass.

What about you, Dawn?

Dawn: I agree to what — her telling me that ... she gave birth, that was, like, the best. And then, when the baby was born and getting to see the baby, and I was right there with her and with her through the whole birthing experience, that was amazing to me.

Yeah. And that's so special, because even though you guys are a thousand miles apart, you still get to experience all those big moments together.

Dawn: Well, it was — we were very, very lucky, because I went — I went up to New York. Her — her due date was July 4th.

Cher: Fifth.

Dawn: I went up to New York, and I was praying that she would give birth while I'm here. I don't want to go back to Florida, and then she goes into labor, so we just walked and walked in Central Park for hours, and then that evening she went into labor.

Have you guys ever met the other mothers and daughters on the show?

Dawn: No, I'd love to, but we never have.

You don't have any plans to?

Cher: I feel we could do a reunion or something where we can all — I mean, I don't know. I have a dream we could all be together. I think that would be so much fun, but we haven't had the opportunity to do that.

That would be fun to just see a reunion episode and see all of you guys hanging out.

Dawn: Yes!

What has been the best part of your "sMothered" experience, and what has been maybe the worst part?

Cher: The best part? I think it's just so fun. Every Sunday night, or now it's going to be Mondays. Every Monday when it — every time it airs, it's so exciting, 'cause you just don't know what you're going to see, and you're getting to relive something that maybe was amazing, maybe it wasn't so good. And that feeling right before it airs is just so exciting. And then I think the worst part is just, I don't know. What would you say is the worst part?

Dawn: When it's over.

Cher: When the show's over, the season's over?

Dawn: The season's over. It's so great creating these memories. You have them for life, and it's just so special. And like Cher was saying, to rewatch it on TLC, and we're seeing it for the first time too and say, "Oh, wow. I'm now — I remember that!" And reliving the whole, all these experiences all over again is just amazing.

Cher: And you just don't know what's going to air, what's not going to air. And so it's always a little scary, exciting. A lot of emotions come through, because you just don't know what you're going to see, because you're — I'm seeing at the same time that the rest of the world is seeing it, and so I have to prepare myself. What's about to go down on Twitter? But yeah, it's fun.

When you're apart, do you FaceTime each other while you're watching the episodes or are you talking to each other throughout the episode?

Cher: Every commercial, we're on the phone. Every — like, literally every commercial, we're on the phone. And a lot of times we're just on speaker silently ... So we can kind of talk about it. Right after it, things happen, and we like talking about other duos, their drama and stuff. It's fun. We're fans of the show just like anybody else.

How have your lives changed since Season 1? Obviously, Cher, you became a mom, but in what other ways?

Dawn: Well, I guess I can't call her every minute of the day now, because she has a little girl that she needs to take care of. And sometimes she can't answer the phone with me, because she's busy. So I guess it changed where I have to know what — I know when she calls. I make sure that I'm available, because she has less time.

Cher: I think it's just — I don't know if it's really changed much. Yes, of course, having a baby, that all changed, but when it comes to mother and daughter, I feel my mom and I — I said — have always been super close, but now kind of having a little bit more of a platform for mothers and daughters and being that person that other people can come to and ask for advice. We get tons of DMs all the time of people asking for actual advice about their mother and daughter relationships and what to do, and it's really nice being able to be somebody that we can offer that stuff. And people write to us on Instagram or on TikTok. My mom and I have a large TikTok following where we — we do a lot of mother-daughter videos, and we just started a YouTube channel, and people write in all the time. And we love being able to use our voice kind of now as mother and daughter and support other moms and daughters as well, which, beforehand, we were always close, but not everyone got to see that or got to know that this has been really special...

Dawn: I'm also finding that a lot of other mothers and daughters now want to be close after watching us, which is wonderful. If we could make that happen with other mothers and daughters and bring them together, then we did a wonderful job.

How has the pandemic affected your relationship?

Cher: It's hard on each other. For me, I'm not flying right now because my daughter — she can't wear a mask. So I'm so nervous, and so it's definitely become harder. I want to go to Florida. I want to visit my mom all the time. I want to get out of the freezing weather, and it's not easy. And so that's hard ... becoming such a homebody in ... not being able to interact as much and relying on TikTok for that. It's — it's such a different world now, because of the pandemic, but it also makes you reevaluate things and just kind of be thankful for what you do have.

What about you, Dawn?

Dawn: It's hard not to be able to see Cher as often, but I always say, with FaceTime and Zoom and cell phones, it didn't affect us being close. I mean, we're still as close even with the pandemic because we just are, and I have gone up there a number of times by car to see them.

At the end of Season 2, baby Belle had just been born, and Dawn, you were heading back home to Florida. Can you tell us a little bit about what we can expect to see in Season 3?

Cher: Lots of laughter, for sure.

Dawn: Yes.

Cher: Laughter, lots of drama, lots of excitement. What else can we say?

Dawn: I don't know.

Cher: Yeah. I think just — yeah, lots. Getting ourselves into trouble for sure.

The newest season of TLC's "sMothered" will be airing on an all new night. Season 3 premieres on Monday, May 31 at 9 p.m. EST/PST.