Rosie O'Donnell Lays Bare Whitney Houston's Private Struggle
Next year, it'll be ten years since Whitney Houston's death, but the legacy of the "I Will Always Love You" singer lives on. Even recently, Disney+ started streaming Houston's 1997 made-for-TV musical Cinderella. By bringing the Rodgers and Hammerstein version of the classic fairytale to the popular streaming platform, it has allowed many of the old fans eager to revisit a childhood fave to see the film once again (via InStyle). Not to mention the brand new generation of kids being introduced to the Brandy and Houston classic for the first time.
Seeing Whitney Houston again on the screen has brought back many memories for fans and celebrities who once knew the Grammy-winning singer. One old friend, Rosie O'Donnell, even shared some stories of her time with Houston on a recent episode of the podcast, Hot Takes & Deep Dives (via the New York Post). O'Donnell talked about the time Houston canceled on her talk show 45 minutes before taping, and a huge conflict Houston was dealing with in her life — her sexuality.
Rosie O'Donnell believes Whitney Houston didn't want 'the gay part of her life' exposed
Throughout Whitney Houston's career, there were rumors of her sexuality. In 2016, Houston's former husband, Bobby Brown, even confessed in his autobiography that his ex-wife was bisexual. And in 2019, Houston's rumored partner, Robyn Crawford, wrote in her autobiography that she was indeed in a relationship with the "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" singer (via HuffPost).
It was actually at a party in New York where Rosie O'Donnell met Crawford for the first time, and she was introduced to the talk show host as Houston's partner, O'Donnell shared on the Hot Takes & Deep Dives podcast (via the New York Post). O'Donnell admitted during the chat with Jess Rothschild that she always felt like Houston was conflicted by "the gay part of her life and didn't want it exposed."
Houston grew up in the Baptist Church, and according to O'Donnell, that judgment "weighed heavily on her." The comedian believed "there was a lot of conflict about that" in Houston's life (via The Independent).