Oprah Faces backlash from Whitney Houston’s pal after claiming singer was 'high' during talkshow appearance

Oprah Winfrey has been accused of having 'a lot of nerve' after claiming Whitney Houston was high during her final-ever appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, with multiple people now disputing her version of events.

The chat show legend made the comments while speaking at Cannes Lions this week, recalling Houston's 2009 interview, a two-part season premiere at the time, designed to mark a major comeback for the singer following years of public struggles with addiction and her turbulent marriage to Bobby Brown.

What did Oprah say about Whitney Houston?

Winfrey claimed Houston had allegedly relapsed before the taping and fell from the stage, insisting she'd pleaded with the studio audience not to repeat what they'd witnessed.

"I knew that if the story got out… she would be destroyed by that," Winfrey said of her decision at the time.

But Houston's estate hit back almost immediately, confirming the singer did fall, just not for the reason Winfrey suggested.

"Whitney absolutely fell off the 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 in a statement.

Who else has disputed Oprah Winfrey's account of Whitney Houston's fall?

Houston's longtime hairstylist Tiffanie Dixon has since added her voice to the backlash, claiming she was standing close enough to witness exactly what happened that day.

Speaking during an online conversation with Houston fan Quencie Thomas, Dixon insisted the fall came down to nothing more than a staging mishap.

"It's not true. She fell because they did not rope off the stage… I was standing right there," she said.

Dixon went on to make a far more explosive claim, alleging Winfrey's production team had audience members sign nondisclosure agreements at the time, and reportedly threatened to fire staff if details of the fall ever leaked.

She made clear, however, that any suggestion Houston was under the influence that day simply isn't true.

"It's not true… There's not truth and no validity… It's a lie… She's got a lot of nerve," Dixon said, revealing she felt compelled to speak out because Winfrey's remarks "disturbed" her.

What was Whitney Houston actually doing on the show that day?

At the time, Houston had appeared on Winfrey's show to promote her final studio album, I Look to You, using the interview as a chance to speak candidly about her battles with addiction, fame, and her divorce from Brown.

A source close to the original taping backed up Dixon's account when speaking to Page Six, insisting Houston was "not on drugs" and was instead "upbeat and happy" throughout filming.

Entertainment journalist Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 also took aim at Winfrey's comments, pointing out she'd previously told music executive Clive Davis during a 2021 Zoom call that drugs weren't to blame for Houston's fall at all.

Whitney Houston's estate, Tiffanie Dixon and Oprah Winfrey have been approached for comment.