The tragedy of Whitney Houston was well-documented and, unfortunately, way too publicized. Her struggles with substance abuse were mercilessly covered by tabloids, and reality TV made us all spectators to her life. Naturally, it became deeply sensationalized as people couldn’t avert their eyes from her. The disaster meant ratings for the people in charge. However, Oprah Winfrey once went out on a limb to protect her friend from being seen at rock bottom.In a conversation at the Cannes Lions festival, the media giant recalled Houston’s final appearance on her show. At the time, Whitney Houston had relapsed on drugs, and it was evident how much she struggled. Consequently, Winfrey pulled her aside before their interview to have a real heart-to-heart.“We did the whole, ‘Hey girl, how you doing?’ greeting thing,” Oprah Winfrey recalled. “Then I stopped the cameras, and I went behind stage, and I said, ‘So tell me, what do you want to happen here? And I’m gonna tell you what I want to happen here.’ And that was one of the most powerful interviews.”Later in the show, Whitney Houston came back out to perform. However, at one point, she fell off the stage. Knowing how much the media would scrutinize her, Winfrey worried about photos being released. As a result, she begged and pleaded with her audience not to share what happened.Oprah Winfrey Protected Whitney Houston From Media Backlash After Falling On Her Show“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.”Miraculously, no one from the show released images from Whitney Houston’s fall. The iconic singer passed away in 2012 at 48 years old after an accidental drowning. Oprah Winfrey remained close with her family even after her friend’s passing, attending her private funeral. Additionally, Winfrey’s show was the first interview that Houston and Bobby Brown’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, gave in the aftermath of her mom’s passing. Sadly, Brown was found unconscious in her bathtub on January 31st, 2015, after which she was in a coma for months. Eventually, Brown would pass away on July 26th, 2015, at 22 years old.The post Remember When Oprah Winfrey Helped Hide This Whitney Houston Slip-Up in 2009?: ‘That Would Not Happen Today’ appeared first on VICE.