Whitney Houston's mother Cissy claims that she was unaware her daughter was sexually assaulted
Whitney Houston's documentary, 'Whitney' was released in Cannes on May 16 and even after two months, people are in shock over the untold story of the singer that was shown to the world. One of the most shocking claims in the documentary was the truth about Whitney being molested as a child by Dee Dee Warwick, her cousin, and Dionne Warwick’s sister.
The revelations were made by Whitney's longtime assistant, Mary Jones. After a long-standing silence, Whitney's mother, Cissy Houston has finally broken her silence in a statement she made to People. Cissy claims that she was unaware of the sexual assault allegations until the day they got to see the documentary, which was two days before its premiere at Cannes.
"My niece Dionne Warwick and I make this statement to raise our voices above the din surrounding the release of the film, Whitney. Although the film is marketed as a Houston Family approved/endorsed the project, neither my son, Michael, Dionne nor I knew of the allegations of abuse, the direction the film would take, until two days before the screening at Cannes," she said. Before proceeding with the statement, Cissy added that it wasn't to offend anyone who had been sexually assaulted in the past but was just a way for the family to open up about their side of the story.
"To begin we want to state clearly that the horror of what victims of sexual abuse experience is unimaginable. We make no attempt to minimize the pain, the trauma and perhaps lifelong damage to the psyche of abuse victims. We understand and acknowledge that there are no rules governing a person’s reaction to trauma and every person reacts differently. By this statement we do not intend to defend, condone or excuse the crime of molestation," she added.
She continued, "We cannot, however, overstate the shock and horror we feel and the difficulty we have believing that my niece Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne’s sister) molested two of my three children." The documentary puts forward the parts of Whitney's life that were never seen or heard before. Cissy believes that the documentary should not have showcased that in the documentary even though Whitney is a famous person as she decided to keep them a secret because she did not want the world to know of it.
"I’ve been told—as justification for the invasive theme of this film—that Whitney was a public person and therefore the public has a right to know any and everything about her. I say, NO, she was a famous person … a singer, an actress, a quiet but generous philanthropist. She wasn’t running for office, asking for money or trying to win the right to run anyone’s life," she said.
"Her job does not entitle the “public” to know every intimate detail of her life beyond what she herself revealed during her lifetime," she continued. "Although she spoke about her struggle with drugs, the interventions, her daughter Krissi and issues in her marriage, she never PUBLICLY spoke about her fathers stealing from her or revealed any claim that she had been molested. IF she was molested I do not believe she would have wanted it to be revealed for the first time to thousands, maybe millions of people in a film."
While the movie has made some strong accusations about Dee Dee, Cissy claims that they cannot be denied or affirmed as none of them with us, to tell the truth. "I know the woman who was identified as Whitney’s “close confidante”. If she was my daughter’s “close confidante” it would seem she chose to betray Whitney’s confidence by publicizing rumors and hearsay. In any case Dionne, Michael and I do not know her the way we knew and loved Dee Dee Warwick. Dee Dee may have had her personal challenges but the idea that she would have molested my children is overwhelming and for us unfathomable," she revealed.
The statement continued, "We cannot reconcile the Public’s need to know about Whitney’s life as justification for an invasion of her privacy or the charge against Dee Dee, a charge which neither Whitney nor Dee Dee is here to deny, refute or affirm. Neither I, Dionne, nor my son Michael who was very close to his sister, and in the film is VERY candid about their drug use, has ever heard these allegations; we have never heard anything remotely connected to the crimes charged against Dee Dee in the film. How can that be fair to my daughter, to Dee Dee, or to our family?"
She reflected on how some of the statements made in the documentary have been untrue. "I spent many years in recording studios (sometimes with Dionne and/or Dee Dee) where I earned my living. I also went “on the road” with my group The Sweet Inspirations to try to help provide a good life for my family BUT my children always came first in my heart and in my life. When I was away they did not stay with four or five different families; they stayed at home where their longtime babysitter, Phyllis, or my dear friend Bae or their father took care of them. In all the years I traveled Dee Dee, who was 21 years older than Whitney, NEVER BABYSAT for them," she said.
She added that there are still parts of the puzzle that are missing and unfortunately will never be answered because the people who could tell the truth are not there. "How I wish I could ask Dee Dee and Nippy what happened, but this film distinguishes itself from the other films about her by spreading rumor, innuendo, and hearsay; leaving questions to which I’ll never have the answers," she added.