Dionne Warwick is speaking out against the claims made in the documentary Whitney, alleging that her sister — and Whitney’s cousin — Dee Dee Warwick molested Whitney Houston as a child.
According to Dionne, the claims are ‘evil’ and ‘untrue.’
via People:
“I have tried to refrain from responding to that,” the 77-year-old singer explained. “First of all, it’s totally hogwash. My sister would never, ever have done anything to do any harm to any child, especially within our family. And for those lies to be perpetuated in this so-called documentary film, I think it’s evil.”
She also went on to share that she was “totally” shocked when she first heard about the claim, which was made in the film by Whitney’s longtime assistant Mary Jones.
“I will never, and I mean this, ever forgive those who perpetuated this insanity,” Dionne added.
In the film, Jones says that Whitney confided in her, revealing that as a child she had been sexually abused by Dee Dee.
Whitney’s brother Gary also claims in the film that he was molested by Dee Dee between the ages of 7 and 9.
Nearly two months after the film’s release, Whitney’s mother Cissy Houston, in conjunction with Dionne, issued an emotional statement, revealing their deep concerns about the claim, and the film as a whole.
“We cannot overstate the shock and horror we feel and the difficulty we have believing that my niece Dee Dee Warwick . . . molested two of my three children,” Cissy told PEOPLE in a statement on behalf of herself and Dionne, revealing they first learned of the claims two days before the film’s May 16 premiere in Cannes.
Though the two share their support for all victims of child abuse, these are charges “neither Whitney nor Dee Dee are here to deny, refute or affirm … How can that be fair to my daughter, to Dee Dee, to our family?”
However, despite the reaction from some members of the Houston family, Jones has stood by her choice to share the information with the world.
“I was close to Whitney, she confided in me and I struggled tremendously deciding whether to share this secret or keep to myself,” Jones previously told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “I deeply love and respect Dionne, Cissy and their entire families, and my intention was never to embarrass anyone in the family, but rather to bring to light that Whitney was subjected to something painful and troubling as a child. And it’s something that happens to other innocent kids and goes unspoken too much.
She continued, “I decided to share the story so that people might understand that throughout her entire life Whitney carried this with her, and the weight of it was immense. Whitney was a wonderful woman, an angel, and she did not drag herself down all alone — there was a cause.”
During Dionne’s interview with King, the legendary singer revealed that she believes her legacy is “happiness and joy and hope…and beautiful melodies that will stay with you forever.”
Asked whether there are any career milestones she’d still like to accomplish, Dionne didn’t skip a beat before replying, ”Oh sure: the Oscar, the Emmy and the Tony.”
“Not necessarily in that order,” she added.
Check out the clip below. Dionne Warwick’s full Larry King Live interview airs August 15 on Hulu.
