Oprah Winfrey recently spoke at Cannes Lions about her success as a TV show host and personality, while focusing on the dedication and loyalty of her studio audiences over the years.
The example she used to demonstrate her audience's loyalty involved the final time Whitney Houston appeared on her show.
The second-to-last time that Winfrey saw Houston, the pair discussed what they both wanted to gain from their upcoming interview, which Winfrey later claimed to be one of the most powerful interviews she'd ever conducted.
According to Winfrey, Houston had gone through rehab and was committed to her sobriety at the time of that interview, but when Houston returned for her last performance on the show, Winfrey was suspicious that she had relapsed.
Winfrey recounted:
"I think it was her last show with us, and she had gone back on 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."
"She fell off of the stage."
"I knew if that story got out, she would be destroyed by that."
"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."
"They did not. And that would not happen today, I can tell you that."
You can watch the clip here:
As the clip circulated online, people could understand Winfrey wanting to reflect on the power and commitment of her audience over the years, but they questioned the example she used, or why she didn't at least censor who the incident involved.
In particular on the "Pop Culture Chat" subReddit, Redditors challenged why she'd be worried about Houston's reputation in life but not respect her memory and legacy after her death.
"Sooo NOW you're sharing it??" - Ssspppaaaccceeesss
"What happened to respecting those who have passed and keeping things that should not be out there? So f**king tacky." - Different_Daikon3400
"She was 'so protective' of Whitney's reputation, and yet, here she is... telling us all about it." - freckyfresh
"Huh? What’s the point of protecting Whitney by asking the audience not to publicize it, when you’re just going to blab it to the general public on your huge platform anyway?" - ALLoftheFancyPants
"I feel like she could have told this story and made her point about her audience being respectful, having empathy, and listening when asked not to post photos of the incident without saying explicitly that it was Whitney. She could have just said it was a celebrity." - HumbleBell
Even Whitney Houston's estate got involved, responding to the story Winfrey told at Cannes Lions.
"From the 2009 interview on the 'Oprah Winfrey show,' Whitney absolutely fell off stage."
"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."
"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."
Fans of Whitney Houston showed their support of preserving her memory.
@whitneyhouston/Instagram
@whitneyhouston/Instagram
@whitneyhouston/Instagram
@whitneyhouston/Instagram
@whitneyhouston/Instagram
Though Winfrey was trying to make a point about her audience and how she could depend on them, fans couldn't help but question her approach to getting that point across.
@arianagrande/Instagram
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