Whitney HoustonThe hairdresser responds to Oprah after the famous talk show host claimed the award-winning singer fell off her soundstage because she was high. Oprah’s remarks sparked backlash, prompting Houston’s estate and veteran entertainment journalist Roger Friedman to respond.
According to Page Six, former Houston hairstylist Tiffanie Dixon said Oprah’s comments that the singer was high during her appearance on her talk show in 2009 were flat-out false.
“That’s not true. She fell because they didn’t bring the stage down with a rope…I was right there,” Dixon said.
Dixon went on to claim that Oprah made people sign NDAs after the incident and even threatened to fire her team if the story leaked to the press.
Despite the precautions Oprah reportedly took, Dixon insisted Houston was “not high.”
Dixon says Oprah has ‘a lot of courage’ to lie about Whitney Houston
Dixon said she spoke out about Oprah’s comments because they “disturbed” her, adding: “It’s not true. There’s no truth or validity… It’s a lie… She has a lot of courage.”
Oprah sent part of her Cannes Lions press tour to talk about the alleged incident, saying Houston had relapsed on drugs when she arrived at her “Oprah” show scheduled to promote her latest studio album in 2009.
“The first interview I did with her when we were behind the stage and I asked her about her intention, she was clean, but the day she came to my show to perform in front of the audience, she wasn’t and she fell off the stage,” she said, according to Variety.
Opah said she “begged” the public to keep quiet about the incident, stating she knew it would ruin Houston’s career if it became public.
Whitney Houston’s estate applauds Oprah’s claims about the singer
The former Houston hairstylist isn’t the only one to deny claims that the singer was high during her appearance. Houston’s executor, Pat Houston, also fired back, denying the claims and saying Houston fell “because of the darkness of the area and unfamiliarity of the scene.”
Elsewhere in the statement, Houston’s estate confirmed that the singer had suffered from addiction earlier in her career; however, they said Oprah’s claims about her 2009 accident were “inaccurate and unfair.” They added: “What the studio audience saw on stage was the result of discipline, talent and commitment, not the assumptions projected by others. »
Esteemed Journalist Defends Houston Against Oprah’s Claims
Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 also commented on the headlines and said that Oprah’s claims today were very different from her words in 2021. Friedman went on to say that he participated in a Zoom call with Oprah and the late Clive Davis 5 years ago, and during that call, Oprah reportedly said that Houston’s downfall was not due to drugs.
Friedman reported the call live at the time, writing that Oprah reportedly said, “It wasn’t drugs.” »
In Friedman’s 2026 report, the writer said they could “produce” the latest Zoom call about Oprah’s alleged confession if necessary, adding that the TV executive was stretching the truth today “to make headlines.”
Oprah’s comments sparked backlash from Houston fans, many of whom questioned why the talk show host would speak out about the story nearly 20 years later.
“I feel like we could do a better job of respecting his memory than talking about it publicly more than a decade after his passing,” someone wrote. Another user added: “Oh wow, and you thought this was the perfect time to talk about this? »
“Oprah will say anything to protect this bad man and take attention away from Clives,” said a third, while a fourth wrote: “That’s one lady I don’t like.”
“Whitney is gone to haunt her,” someone else added. “Oprah contradicted herself by saying she didn’t want the photos made public, but here she talks about them in detail.”
According to History.com, Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton in California on February 11, 2012. She was 48 years old. PEOPLE reported that the singer’s death was ruled an “accidental drowning with contributing factors of heart disease and cocaine use.”
