Rosie O’Donnell becomes candid about her past relationship with the deceased Whitney Houston. Speaking to Andy Cohen on an episode of “Watch What Happens Live,” the former “The View” co-host said she previously tried to intervene when she thought Houston was going down the wrong path and claimed she was met with a bit of resistance.
O’Donnell’s comments about Whitney Houston came around the same time talk show host Oprah received public backlash after claiming the “I Will Always Love You” singer fell off the Oprah soundstage in the early 2000s due to her drug use.
Rosie O’Donnell says it was this one thing that made her contact Whitney Houston’s team about her safety
“I’m the kind of friend who always tells a friend when I think they’re having problems, which doesn’t always make friendships last,” O’Donnell told the “Real Housewives” executive producer on a recent episode of “WWHL.”
As the conversation continued, O’Donnell said she became worried about Houston when the singer reportedly missed a screening of a “Cinderella” show she produced, which O’Donnell called a “big deal.”
“I remember thinking it was like the beginning of the end and someone had to help him now,” O’Donnell said. “Everyone gets lost in their life, and when you’re in the public eye, you get lost on a national scale…but we can’t pretend we don’t see what we see. »
And while some appreciated O’Donnell’s care and concern, the media personality said some members of his team told him to mind his own business. “As someone who cares about her and loves her and wants her legacy to remain, I just wanted to let you know that this is a disservice to her,” she said.
Fans support O’Donnell for trying to save Houston
Houston fans responded to O’Donnell’s statements, praising the 64-year-old for supporting her friend when she needed it most.
“A true friend always tells the truth, even if that truth can be hard to hear,” someone wrote, while another said: “Rosie seems like a really nice, kind and caring person. Love her even more.”
Other users chimed in, posting: “She may not have always been super close to Whitney, but what she did was the mark of a REAL friend. I love Whitney, I love Rosie.”
A fourth wrote: “She was crying talking about Whitney. Everyone deserves a friend like Rosie.”
Oprah faces backlash after saying Whitney Houston was on drugs during 2009 talk show appearance
According to a previous report from The Blast, Oprah recently received a strong rebuke from the public after speaking about Houston and her alleged drug use in 2009 during an appearance at Cannes Lions.
“The first interview I did with her when we were behind the stage and I asked her about her intentions, 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,” the “Color Purple” actress said.
She went on to say that she then “begged” her studio audience to keep quiet about the situation, and another person claimed that the TV personality even threatened to fire her team if the rumors spread.
One Instagram user responded to Oprah, saying, “I feel like we could do a better job of respecting her memory than talking about it publicly over a decade after her passing,” while another user wrote, “Oh wow, and you thought this was the perfect time to mention this?”
Whitney Houston’s estate hits back at Oprah’s claims, saying singer was ‘not high’ during appearance
Houston estate manager Pat Houston wasted no time in firing back at Oprah, denying her claims that the singer fell due to a drug.
Although Houston’s estate confirmed that she had fallen, they said her fall was due to her unfamiliarity with the scene rather than her intoxicated state.
Before Houston’s sudden death in 2012, the singer struggled with addiction issues, a fact her estate confirmed in its statement.
“Like many people, she has faced personal struggles, but it is inaccurate and unfair to associate that struggle with every performance or every chapter of her life,” the statement read. “What the studio audience saw on stage was the result of discipline, talent and commitment, not the assumptions projected by others.”
The Houston hairstylist also slammed Oprah for allegedly lying about an accident
In addition to Houston’s estate, her personal hairstylist, Tiffanie Dixon, also defended the singer against allegations that she was high during her appearance on the “Oprah” show.
“That’s not true. She fell because they didn’t bring the stage down with a rope…I was right there,” Dixon said.
She revealed that Oprah’s comments about her former client “disturbed” her, prompting her to tell the world that the famous talk show host allegedly lied. “There is no truth or validity… It’s a lie… She has a lot of courage,” she added.
