Whitney Houston‘s hairstylist is clapping back at Oprah after the renowned talk show host claimed the award-winning singer fell off her soundstage because she was high. Oprah’s remarks ignited backlash, prompting Houston’s estate and veteran entertainment journalist Roger Friedman to push back.
According to Page Six, Houston’s former hairstylist, Tiffanie Dixon, said Oprah’s comments about the singer being high during her 2009 appearance on her talk show are flat-out false.
“It’s not true. She fell because they did not rope off the stage… I was standing right there,” Dixon said.
Dixon continued, claiming Oprah made people sign NDAs after the incident and even threatened to fire her staff if the story was leaked to the press.
Despite the precautions Oprah allegedly took, Dixon insisted Houston was “not high.”
Dixon Says Oprah Has ‘A Lot Of Nerve’ To Allegedly Lie About Whitney Houston
Dixon said that she spoke out about Oprah’s comments because they “disturbed” her, adding, “It’s not true. There’s no truth and no validity… It’s a lie… She’s got a lot of nerve.”
Oprah sent a portion of her Cannes Lions press tour talking about the alleged incident, claiming that Houston relapsed on drugs when she arrived at her “Oprah” show set to promote her final studio album in 2009.
“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,” she said, per Variety.
Opah said she “begged” the audience to keep quiet about the incident, stating that she knew it would ruin Houston’s career if it became public.
Whitney Houston’s Estate Claps Back At Oprah’s Claims About The Singer
Houston’s former hairstylist isn’t the only one to deny the claims that the singer was high during her appearance. Houston’s estate executor, Pat Houston, fired back as well, denying the claims and saying that Houston fell “due to the darkness of the area and unfamiliarity with the stage.”
Elsewhere in the statement, Houston’s estate confirmed that the singer struggled with addiction earlier in her career; however, they said Oprah’s claims about her 2009 mishap were “inaccurate and unfair.” They added, “What the studio audience witnessed on stage was the result of discipline, talent, and commitment—not the assumptions others project.”
Esteemed Journalist Defends Houston Against Oprah’s Claims
Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 also commented on the headlines and said that Oprah’s claims today were much different than her words in 2021. Friedman went on to say that he was on a Zoom call with Oprah and the late Clive Davis 5 years ago, and during that call, Oprah allegedly said that Houston’s fall was not due to drugs.
Friedman reported on the call live back then, writing that Oprah allegedly said, “It was not drugs.”
In Friedman’s 2026 report, the writer said that they could “produce” the past Zoom call of Oprah’s alleged confession if needed, adding that the TV executive was stretching the truth today “to make headlines.”
Oprah’s comments were met with backlash from Houston fans, many of whom questioned why the talk show host would speak about the story almost 20 years later.
“I feel like we could respect her memory better than talking about this publicly a decade plus after she passed,” someone wrote. Another user added, “Oh, wow, and you thought this was a perfect time to mention this?”
“Oprah would say anything to protect that nasty man and take the attention away from Clives,” said a third, while a fourth wrote, “This is one lady I do not like.”
“Whitney gone haunt tf outta her,” someone else added. “Oprah contradicted herself saying she didn’t want the puctures to be released to the public but here she is talking about it in detail.”
According to History.com, Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton in California on February 11, 2012. She was 48. PEOPLE reported that the singer’s death was ruled as an “accidental drowning with contributing factors of heart disease and cocaine use.”