Oprah Winfrey hosted 25 seasons of her iconic daytime talk show. Over the course of the series’ run, music legend Whitney Houston appeared multiple times. Now, almost 15 years after the singer’s death, Winfrey is facing backlash after sharing a story of her falling off stage during a performance amid her addiction.
This comes less than a week after former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell opened up about her attempts to save Houston’s life.
According to Variety, Winfrey appeared at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2026, where she received the LionHeart Award. While speaking on stage at the Lumière Theatre, the talk show legend discussed a multitude of topics, including Houston. Overall, she used her appearance to speak about purpose and responsibility.
When speaking about one of her interviews with the “I Wanna Dance With Somebody ” singer, Winfrey said, “We did the whole, ‘Hey girl, how you doing?’ greeting thing and then I stopped the cameras, and I went behind stage, and I said, ‘So tell me, what do you want to happen here? And I’m gonna tell you what I want to happen here.’”
After that, she summed up the interview with Houston after having previously touched base with her, saying, “And that was one of the most powerful interviews.”
Winfrey Recalls Whitney Houston Falling Off Stage
Winfrey continued her discussion about her onscreen interactions with Houston. Namely, she recalled the singer returning to “The Oprah Winfrey” show after she’d relapsed. Unfortunately, according to Winfrey, the icon fell while performing for the studio audience.
She said on stage, “I had such trust from ‘The Oprah Show’ audience … I think it was [Houston’s] last show with us, and she had gone back on drugs.”
The 72-year-old continued, “The first interview I did with her when we’d gone behind stage and I asked her about her intention, she was clean, but the day she came to my show then to perform in front of the audience, she was not, and she fell off of the stage.”
In that moment, Winfrey wanted to protect Houston and asked the audience for privacy. She stated, “I knew that if that story got out … 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. That would not happen today, I can tell you that.”
Fans Question Why Oprah Winfrey Would Share The Story Now
Following Winfrey’s comments about Houston, she’s receiving a ton of backlash. Overall, people wonder why the TV legend decided to tell the unfortunate story about Houston after previously wanting to protect her from it.
One person said, “But what’s the point of saying that now? Why? Allow her to rest in peace.” Someone else said, “Oprah, honey, you should’ve taken this to the grave cause why tell it now? Let Nippy REST.”
A different social media douted Winfrey’s story about Houston, saying, “I’ll take facts that aren’t facts for 700 Alex. Those pics would be out by now.”
Another person said, “This lady loves speaking on the dead……. Just shut up. There is no need for this story years after her death.”
Lastly, someone else commented, “Oprah Winfrey is truly evil, I swear! Same case she tried to sell about MJ, is the exact same case she’s trying to sell about Whitney, & most interestingly, it’s always AFTER THE PERSON HAS DIED. Always!”
Oprah Previously Opened Up About Her 2009 Interview With Whitney
Houston last appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2009. She sat for the interview Winfrey mentioned, where they had a heart-to-heart before the discussion, and then returned later that year to perform. Notably, her final album, “I Look to You,” was released in August of that year.
Per The Boston Herald, Winfrey released a statement ahead of the interview’s release. She said, “My approach to this interview was to not be judgmental in any way, and not to go in trying to get her to say things to make a ‘moment.’”
Winfrey then said of the interview, “I just wanted to be able to have an honest conversation with her. One woman to another woman. And the day of the interview, I literally prayed about that all day long. I just wanted a connection between the two of us. And that is what happened. And that is why I believe it’s one of the most, if not the most, powerful interviews I’ve ever done.”
Oprah Winfrey Recently Reflected On Her Talk Show Legacy
During her appearance at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Winfrey also reflected on the legacy of her talk show and how she wanted it to be a “force for good.” Per Deadline, she recalled, “I said to the producer, ‘We’re not going to let TV use us any more. We’re going to use it as a force for good.”
She continued, “Every show we do, in some form or another, is going to speak to their lives and what the yearning and the search is for all of us.”
