Music legend Whitney Houston tragically passed away in February 2012. Now, years later, former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell is opening up about their friendship, how she tried to save the icon years before her death, and when she knew it was the beginning of the end for the “Cinderella” actress.
O’Donnell appeared on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” which is hosted by Andy Cohen. During the broadcast, he noted the former talk show host’s “great run with Whitney Houston.” She noted, “Oh, yeah, what a tragedy.”
After that, the “Housewives” executive producer asked the 64-year-old if she would have considered herself to have been “pals” with Houston. She responded, “No, I whenever we saw each other we got along great.”
In discussing their connection, she noted that in 1996, when she hosted “Saturday Night Live,” Houston was the musical guest with Penny Marshall doing the opening monologue. Notably, Marshall directed Houston in “The Preacher’s Wife” in 1996 as well.
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 about Houston by revealing when she knew the music legend may have had a problem. According to her, “I’m the kind of friend that always tells a friend when I think they’re in trouble, which doesn’t always make the friendship last.”
Cohen then clarified, asking, “And you did that?” She responded, “I did that, and to her people, I did, when she didn’t show up to the ‘Cinderella’ full hour that she had produced.”
Regarding what led her to reach out, O’Donnell stated, “I remember thinking, ‘this is like the beginning of the end, and somebody needs to help her now.’” She continued, “I mean, everybody gets lost in their life, and when you’re in the public eye, you get lost very nationally, and it’s really difficult.”
She added, “But we can’t pretend we don’t see what we see.” Toward the end of the segment, Cohen asked for the reaction she received after trying to help Houston.
According to her, “Some of her people said ‘thank you,’ and some of them said, ‘it’s not 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 is doing her a disservice.’”
Fans Are Weighing 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 ladies are weighing in. One person on TikTok said, “That’s a good friend, the kind of friend you want to have.” A different social media user stated, “Like her or not, that’s called integrity, and it’s worth paying attention to.”
Someone else wrote, “Rosie looks great, and she wasn’t wrong at all about Whitney. 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 the air. She’s smart, funny and got 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’d seen Elisabeth Hasselbeck‘s return as a guest host on “The View” and if she would ever consider returning in a guest-hosting capacity.
She responded, “I did catch her on it, and I would be up to guest host, but they haven’t asked me, so we’ll see what happens.” After that, O’Donnell noted that it was “interesting” that, ‘during the time of Trump,’ the one the producers of the show would bring back to guest host.
Cohen went on to ask if she was “still annoyed” by the show’s producers going to a split screen during her 2007 on-screen spat with Hasselbeck. She stated that she was.
The Icon Recently Opened Up About Her Facelift
O’Donnell recently revealed she’d undergone a facelift in January. In June, she opened up to E! News while attending The Tony Awards. Regarding her decision to be transparent about the procedure, she said, “Authenticity is the goal in these days and times, and people are lying about everything all day to the American public.”
O’Donnell continued, “It’s very depressing to me and unsettling, and I think all that matters is truth and love, and so I wanted to be truthful and say all the complicated emotions I had about it.”
After that, she said that one of her kids was against her having the procedure. She recalled, “My little autistic 13-year-old said to me, ‘If you do it, I would not be able to respect you ever again.’ And that put me off it for a few months, but then when I went and did it in January, I came home 10 days later, and they never noticed.”
