Whitney Houston's estate slams Oprah's claim she was high in mishap that 'would ruin her'
Whitney Houston's estate slams Oprah's claim she was high in mishap that 'would ruin her'
Ellie HookThu, June 25, 2026 at 9:30 AM UTC
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Whitney performed on Oprah's show in 2009 -Credit:ABC (ABC)
Oprah Winfrey may have been preaching positivity in her latest interview, but it seems it has backfired massively.
The estate of Whitney Houston has released a statement refuting the 72-year-old talk show host's recent comments during her Cannes Lions appearance, claiming the late music icon fell off a stage while high on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
"From the 2009 interview on the Oprah Winfrey show, Whitney absolutely fell off stage, but it was during a sound check and it was due to the darkness of the area and her unfamiliarity with the stage. She was absolutely not high," the post, shared to Houston's official Instagram, read. It comes after Whitney's autopsy revealed "deep physical scars" from her struggles.
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"This story was picked up by several media outlets. Like many people, she faced personal battles, but it is inaccurate and unfair to attach that struggle to every performance or every chapter of her life," the statement went on. The two-time Oscar nominee shared the story at Cannes Lions on Tuesday, June 23, discussing Whitney's last-ever performance on her show.
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Oprah claimed Whitney was high during her last performance on her self-titled show -Credit:Getty Images
"Whitney did what I think was her last show with us, and she had gone back on drugs. The first interview I did with her … she was clean, but the day she came to my show to perform in front of the audience, she was not, and she fell off of the stage," Oprah revealed.
She continued, "I knew that if that story got out that she'd fallen off the stage, she would be destroyed by that, and so even though the audience was there and the audience had cameras, I begged them not to put those pictures out because it would ruin her life, and they did not."
Oprah claimed she begged the audience and cameras to keep the fall quiet -Credit:ABC
The Grammy winner's estate also addressed the audience who witnessed her fall. "What the studio audience witnessed on stage was the result of discipline, talent, and commitment not the assumptions others project," they declared.
"Whitney's humanity included triumphs and struggles, but on that day, she showed up as the professional and gifted artist she always worked to be. We owe her the dignity of telling the truth not repeating myths," the statement concluded.
Whitney Houston's official cause of death was listed as accidental drowning.
Oprah said she knew the moment could have been devastating if it became public. "I knew that if that story got out … she would be destroyed by that," the star admitted.
Whitney died on February 11, 2012, at the age of 48 after an accidental drowning in her hotel room. She was known as The Voice for her powerful vocal talents that continued to win accolades even after her death.
By the end of her life, though, she was also well-known for her lengthy journey with drug addiction, which was immortalized in the 2022 biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
