'She Was Not High': Whitney Houston Estate Says Oprah Lied About Singer's Fall

A decades-old incident involving Whitney Houston has been thrust back into the spotlight after her estate publicly challenged Oprah Winfrey's account of the singer falling off a stage while allegedly under the influence of drugs.

The estate of the late Whitney Houston has issued a statement disputing comments made by Oprah Winfrey during a recent appearance at Cannes Lions, where the media mogul recalled an incident involving the singer during her time on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show.'

According to a statement shared on Houston's official Instagram account, the singer did fall from a stage in 2009, but the circumstances were very different from those described by Winfrey.

'From the 2009 interview on the Oprah Winfrey show, Whitney absolutely fell off stage, but it was during a sound check and it was due to the darkness of the area and her unfamiliarity with the stage. She was absolutely not high,' the estate said.

The statement added that while Houston faced well-documented personal struggles, it was unfair to connect those issues to every moment of her life.

'Like many people, she faced personal battles, but it is inaccurate and unfair to attach that struggle to every performance or every chapter of her life,' the estate continued.

What Oprah Said At Cannes Lions

The dispute stems from remarks Winfrey made during a conversation at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

While discussing memorable interviews from her career, Winfrey reflected on her relationship with Houston and recalled what she described as one of their most powerful conversations. She said Houston had later returned to the programme to perform and had relapsed into addiction by that point.

'I think it was [Houston's] last show with us, and she had gone back on drugs,' Winfrey said. '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.'

Winfrey also claimed she urged audience members not to release photographs of the incident because of the damage it could have caused Houston's reputation.

A Broader Conversation About Legacy

Much of Winfrey's Cannes Lions appearance focused on philanthropy, personal growth and the lessons she has learned throughout her life.

She spoke about her childhood poverty in Mississippi, the creation of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa and advice she received from the late author and poet Maya Angelou. Winfrey told attendees that a person's true legacy is measured by the lives they touch rather than awards, buildings or public achievements.

However, it was her comments about Houston that generated the strongest reaction online, prompting the estate's swift response.

Remembering Whitney Houston

Houston remains one of the most successful recording artists in music history, with more than 200 million records sold worldwide. The singer produced a string of global hits including 'I Will Always Love You,' 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)' and 'Greatest Love of All.'

She died in February 2012 at the age of 48 after accidentally drowning in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California.

In the years before her death, Houston openly struggled with substance abuse and the intense pressures that came with fame. Despite those challenges, she is still widely regarded as one of the greatest vocalists of all time, with a legacy that continues to influence generations of artists.