Oprah Winfrey Reveals She Kept Whitney Houston’s Fall Out of the Press

Oprah Winfrey says she protected Whitney Houston from public scrutiny after the late legend fell off the stage, having apparently relapsed ahead of her final appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The media mogul opened up about using her television influence as a “force for good” during her presentation to Cannes Lions delegates at the Lumière Theatre in the Palais des Festivals on Tuesday, June 23, recalling at one point her decision to protect Houston from a devastating public moment in 2009.

“This was an amazing thing that happened. I had such trust from the Oprah Show audience … I think it was [Houston’s] last show with us, and she had gone back on drugs,” Winfrey said, as per Variety. “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 said that she knew how devastating the incident would have been for the “I Will Always Love You” artist and jumped into action.

“I knew that if that story got out … she would be destroyed by that,” Winfrey said. “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. That would not happen today, I can tell you that.”

Three years later, Houston died in February 2012 at the age of 48 due to an accidental drowning.

Winfrey later impressed upon her fellow creators the responsibilities that they hold. “Your bigger job here on the planet is to be the best human being you can be, not the best creator, not the best talk show host, not the best podcaster, but how are you evolving into what creation intended for you to be?” she asked.