While confirming that the 'I Will Always Love You' hitmaker did have a secret relationship with her assistant, the music producer says the speculation that the relationship was the catalyst of the singer's addiction was 'inaccurate.'
- Dec 24, 2022
AceShowbiz - Clive Davis has spoken up on long-standing rumors about Whitney Houston's relationship with her assistant Robyn Crawford. Confirming the wild speculation, the superstar music producer said that the late singer did have a "teenage affair" with Robyn.
"They did have a teenage, one-year affair," the 90-year-old said of Whitney and Robyn's secret relationship in an interview with Extra. He, however, denied the notion that their relationship was the catalyst of Whitney's addiction issue.
Seeking to clarify the rumors, the five-time Grammy Award winner added, "There have been so many articles that have…attempted to trace her addiction to being a frustrated lesbian or never dated a man before [Bobby Brown], all of which was totally inaccurate."
"I know of several men that she dated before Bobby," Clive said of Whitney's relationship history. "I mean, she did see Jermaine Jackson for two years."
During the sit-down, Clive also talked about the new Whitney biopic "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". Raving about Naomi Ackie's portrayal as the late icon, he said, "Her audition tape stood out from the very beginning… the lip-synching was fabulous."
As to watching Stanley Tucci portray himself in the film, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee admitted it was a "little weird" at first. He, however, got over the weirdness as he called Stanley a "master actor."
Asked what Whitney would think of the movie, Clive answered, "She and I were pretty in sync on almost every issue. I'm proud, and I believe Whitney would be proud, too."
Whitney never addressed speculation about her relationship with her assistant when she was alive. Robyn, on the other hand, confirmed in her 2019 memoir "A Song For You: My Life With Whitney Houston" and a subsequent interview with NBC News in November of that year that they had a physical relationship when they first met.
"In the early part of that friendship, it was physical," she told the outlet. "It was during that first summer that we met, was the first time our lips touched. And it wasn't anything planned, it just happened. And it felt wonderful."
"I Wanna Dance With Somebody" will hit theaters across the nation on December 23.
