Music legend Whitney Houston died tragically in February 2012. Now, years later, the former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell opens about their friendship, how she tried to save the icon years before his death and the moment she knew it was the beginning of the end for the “Cinderella” actress.
Rosie O’Donnell opens up about her relationship with Whitney Houston
O’Donnell appeared on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” hosted by Andy Cohen. During the show, he highlighted the former talk show host’s “excellent run with Whitney Houston.” She noted: “Oh, yeah, what a tragedy. »
Afterward, the “Housewives” executive producer asked the 64-year-old if she would consider herself to have been “friends” with Houston. She replied: “No, every time we saw each other we got along very well.”
When discussing their relationship, she noted that in 1996, when she hosted “Saturday Night Live,” Houston was the musical guest on Penny Marshall do the opening monologue. Notably, Marshall also directed Houston in 1996’s “The Preacher’s Wife.”
O’Donnell called the experience of working with Houston on “SNL” “wonderful.”
Rosie O’Donnell says she tried to save Whitney
O’Donnell continued her thoughts on Houston by revealing when she knew the music legend may have had a problem. According to her, “I’m the kind of friend who always tells a friend when I think they’re having problems, which doesn’t always make the friendship last.”
Cohen then clarified by asking, “And you did that?” She responded, “I did, and to her people I did, when she failed to show up for the full hour of “Cinderella” that she had produced.
Regarding what led her to reach out, O’Donnell said, “I remember thinking, ‘This feels like the beginning of the end, and someone has to help now.’ » She continued, “I mean, everyone gets lost in their life, and when you’re in the public eye, you get lost on a national scale, and it’s really hard.
She added: “But we can’t pretend we don’t see what we see. » Towards the end of the segment, Cohen was asked about the reaction she received after trying to help Houston.
According to her, “Some of her relatives said ‘thank you’ and others said ‘it’s none of your business,’ and I said, ‘Well, as someone who cares about her and loves her and wants her legacy to remain, I just wanted to let you know that this isn’t doing her any favors.'”
Fans weigh in on Rosie’s account of her relationship with Whitney Houston
Following O’Donnell’s comments about trying to help save Houston, fans of both women spoke out. One person on TikTok said: “He’s a good friend, the kind of friend you want to have.” Another social media user said: “Like it or not, it’s called integrity, and it’s worth paying attention to. »
Someone else wrote: “Rosie is stunning, and she wasn’t wrong about Whitney at all. May she continue to rest in peace.”
Another person noted, “Rosie has always been a great judge of character. That’s why Donald has despised her for decades. I wish Whitney’s people had taken her advice to heart. Huge loss to the music industry. Love you, Rosie!!!”
Additionally, other social media users called for O’Donnell to return to television. One person said: “Rosie needs to be back on air. She’s smart, funny and has her finger on the pulse. We need more of that. Especially now.”
Rosie O’Donnell discussed guest hosting ‘The View’
During the June 2026 episode of “Watch What Happens Live,” an audience member asked O’Donnell if she had seen Elisabeth Hasselbeck‘s return as a guest host on “The View” and if she would ever consider returning as a guest host.
She replied: “I surprised her and I’ll be the guest host, but they didn’t ask me, so we’ll see what happens.” Afterward, O’Donnell noted that it was “interesting” that, “in the age of Trump,” who the show’s producers would bring back as a guest host.
Cohen then asked if she was “still annoyed” that the show’s producers switched to split-screen during her 2007 on-screen argument with Hasselbeck. She said she was.
The icon recently opened up about her facelift
O’Donnell recently revealed that she had a facelift in January. In June, she spoke to E! News while attending the Tony Awards. Regarding her decision to be transparent about the procedure, she said: “Authenticity is the goal these days, and people lie about everything all day long to the American public. »
O’Donnell continued: “It’s very depressing to me and disturbing, and I think all that matters is truth and love, and so I wanted to be honest and say all the complicated emotions that I had about it.”
After that, she said one of her children was against her having this procedure. She remembers: “My little autistic 13-year-old told me: ‘If you do this, I will never be able to respect you again.’ And that threw me off for a few months, but then when I went to do it in January, I came home 10 days later, and they never noticed.
