The interview that ruined Whitney Houston’s reputation

Known for her breathtaking voice and hit songs, Whitney Houston enjoyed a very successful career spanning several decades, selling over 200 million records, including albums, singles and videos worldwide. With seven albums to her name, Houston broke several records and, undoubtedly, was an inspiration to up-and-coming female and colored musicians during her prime.

But things took a different turn in her later years when she had to struggle with alcohol abuse and drugs. An autopsy report of her death revealed that heart disease and cocaine use contributed to her death. But what many have described as her downfall was her marriage to Bobby Brown in 1992. Basically, the marriage between the two was associated with drugs, constant fighting, and other weird behaviors.

Later, there were complaints that she had grown so thin. She was also canceling gigs, and many wondered if her problems were caused by drugs.

In 2002, she sat down with ABC News’s Diane Sawyer to promote her new album, “Just Whitney.” But the allegations about her drug use became the focus of the interview, which has sparked quite a lot of controversy over the years. For many, the interview ruined the name of Houston.

Some fans of the singer are also to date upset about how the interview went. Sawyer, during the interview, pulled out a photo of Houston on-stage, saying she looked “scary thin”. Sawyer gave the photo to the singer to ask her if her weight was due to drug use, claiming she was using “crack”.

Houston initially blamed her thinness on her poor eating habits, but as Sawyer pressed on her drug use, with claims that she had used crack, she had to come clear on the issue.

The ‘I Will Always Love You’ singer confessed to having depended on substances but said she never used “crack” (heroin).

“First of all, let’s get one thing straight,” an agitated Houston said. “Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let’s get that straight. OK? We don’t do crack. We don’t do that. Crack is whack.”

As the interview came to a close, Houston asked the audience to pray for her soul. And even though Houston maintained that she had never used “crack”, rumors of her dependence on the substance continued to her death. The global superstar died at the age of 48 after drowning in a bathtub in 2012. But she did achieve a lot of success.

Some of her notable feats include being the first musician to receive the most Billboard awards in one night when she took home 11 in 1993, as well as, being the first female artiste to have two certified 10× platinum albums with her debut eponymous album and The Bodyguard Soundtrack.

Houston made her acting debut in 1992 when she was cast alongside Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. A box office success, the album for the movie also “launched her to a new level of superstardom.”

The first single of the album spent 14 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, which was a record at the time. It earned Record Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 36th Grammy Awards. The Bodyguard, which is the best-selling soundtrack of all time with over 45 million copies sold worldwide, was also named Album of the Year.