Cher DISSES 'Dancing with the Stars' Judges, DEFENDS Son Chaz Bono

Chaz Bono was spotted leaving Anderson Cooper's NYC studio today -- which will air next Tuesday.

The two phoned Chaz's mom Cher, and she shared her thoughts on his elimination from this week's Dancing with the Stars. Judge Bruno Toniolo called Chaz a "fluffy penguin" when judging him on Monday, and Cher sputtered:

"I just thought they [the judges] were rude and it was gratuitous rudeness. I was just p***ed off. I was really upset. Not that Chaz was voted off but that they were so disrespectful."

Cher also spoke out regarding Chaz's decision to become a transgender.

"As a mom, you have a child and then all of a sudden, you have a different child, but you have the same child. So it's very hard to kind of twist your mind around to the adjustment. But then when you look at it, and you're around your child, you just think, 'Oh, no difference.' Same child, different wrapping."