Whitney Houston’s Estate Denies Oprah’s Claim the Diva Fell on Her Stage Due to Drug Relapse: “She Was ABSOLUTELY NOT High!”

Oprah Winfrey may have believed recently revealing an untold story about late Pop icon Whitney Houston was well-intended, but the backlash she’s endured since suggests otherwise.

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During a recent visit to Canne Lions where she received the festival’s LionHeart Award, Winfrey used the opportunity to encourage responsible news coverage from the next generation of journalists – specifically calling on creators to use their platforms for good and to avoid sensationalism.

Using a moment from her own legendary career as an example, the 72-year-old reflected on her unforgettable 2009 interview with Houston who – at the time – used the moment as a “comeback” to relaunch her then-ailing career after years of a highly publicized battle with substance abuse.

While O asserted the interview section of the aired episode went well as Whitney seemed coherent, the media mogul said the separately filmed performance portion was a different story and saw the ‘I Will Always Love You Singer’ seemingly under the influence of drugs.

“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 relayed before sharing, “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.”

Likely to the surprise of O and team, the story garnered quite the negative reaction with many critics calling the admission “insensitive” given Whitney’s death and obvious inability to defend herself against the claims.

Who did come to the diva’s defense, however, was Pat Houston – the singer’s sister-in-law and official executor of her estate.

“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,” Pat shared with TMZ before relaying, “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. What the studio audience witnessed on stage was the result of discipline, talent, and commitment — not the assumptions others project. Whitney’s humanity included triumphs and struggles, but on that day, she showed up as the professional and gifted artist she always worked to be. We owe her the dignity of telling the truth, not repeating myths.”

At writing, Winfrey nor a rep from her camp has responded to Pat’s rebuttal.

Revisit the iconic 2009 interview here.