Scottish filmmaker Kevin MacDonald‘s upcoming documentary is Whitney; the film explores the lift and death of Whitney Houston. In it, her brother Gary Houston is interviewed and revealed that the iconic singer had allegedly been sexually abused by cousin and fellow singer Dee Dee Warwick, according to IndieWire. The filmmakers confirmed the disturbing allegations with several individuals who were close with the singer. It supposedly happened when Whitney was just a child. Gary also alleges that he was victimized by Dee Dee when he was much younger.
Whitney explores the singer’s sexuality as well, including her alleged affair with longtime friend Robyn Crawford. The film, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, carefully examines Whitney’s upbringing and success in music, her scandal-ridden marriage to Bobby Brown, and her battle with drug addiction. The film also addresses the equally tragic death of daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown just 3 years after Whitney’s death.
MacDonald discussed the sexual abuse allegations in a recent interview. “I had a sense that there was something like that behind it,” he told the outlet. “I’d watched her a lot. There was something about her discomfort in her own skin, something about the way she presents or hides herself, her lack of overt sexuality. She’s this beautiful woman but she’s very closed in her demeanor. I’d been watching her for several months and saying to the editors, ‘There’s something about her that reminds me of something.'”
“I’d been working on a film I never finished about child sexual abuse and it just rang a bell with me,” he added. “Then I started to ask questions. That led somebody to tell me, Whitney told me she was abused, but they wouldn’t go on camera. Then Gary the brother told me he was abused by Dee Dee. So it’s not allegations. He’s saying I was abused by this person and told me, ‘I think she abused Whitney.’”