Whitney's Mother, Cissy Houston, Groomed Her For Stardom and "Legacy Music”

The beginning of the film mainly revolves around Whitney's relationship with her mother, Cissy. Whitney was a quiet child who was bullied and teased at school so much, that a few times she was actually chased home. Cissy was always ready to defend her child, and that mentality also applied to her career. Before Whitney became a pop star, her mother made sure music execs knew she would be finishing high school first and wouldn't be cutting any records until Cissy felt she was ready.

A clip from the documentary shows a frustrated Whitney and her mother taking shots at various artists, with Robyn Crawford laughing in the background. "I'm pissed off – these people think it's so damn easy," Whitney vents. She laments how people seem to be just going for whatever is new on the radio and nothing has substance. She mentions Paula Abdul [4] in particular, claiming the singer is, "singing off-key on the record!" She goes on to declare, "She's got an image that we all know ain't even really true."

Though Cissy throws shade at various artists, she also takes Whitney into her arms like she must have when she was a child and consoles her, saying those artists are just making "fad music," while Whitney is preparing for "legacy music."

Whitney Was Allegedly Assaulted as a Child by Her Cousin, Dee Dee Warwick

The documentary's biggest revelation by far is the allegation from both Gary Garland-Houston and Mary Jones — Whitney's half-brother and personal assistant, respectively — that Whitney was molested as a child by Dee Dee Warwick. Gary states that he was also molested by Dee Dee, cousin to the Houstons and sister of music legend Dionne Warwick. Pat Houston, Gary's wife, backs up the story, revealing that Whitney discussed it with her as well, while warning her to keep her own daughter safe. The two speculate that the childhood trauma greatly affected Houston and made it difficult for her to properly address her sexuality as she grew older.

The film seems to imply that the trauma made it hard for Whitney to admit that her relationship with close friend and creative director Robyn Crawford was more than just platonic. It draws the conclusion that she might have struggled with her sexual identity and admitting she was attracted to women. However, longtime friend and famed musician Rickey Minor claims that Whitney wasn't gay; she was fluid. She may not have been public with it, but it seemed like she may have acknowledged it with close friends.

The Houston Family Power Struggle

At one point during the documentary, Gary comically leans towards the camera to faux-whisper, "This family is full of secrets." He isn't lying. A large portion of Whitney tells the story of the Houston family power struggle. Early on in Whitney's career, her divorced parents made appearances together to keep up the image of a happy family that went with Whitney's good-girl persona. Her whole family was involved with her brand and on her payroll; her brothers worked on the tour, her family "managed" her and her mother went along with them all. However, with Robyn and Bobby Brown in the picture, the battle for who had the most influence over Whitney was on.

Robyn, Bobby, and Whitney's father John regularly butted heads. Whitney's brothers openly admit to introducing her to drugs from a young age and Robyn didn't approve of all the wild partying. A few allege that John actually thought about hiring someone to scare Robyn away from Whitney, though it's not clear if this was due to homophobia or because she seemed to have Whitney's ear more than he did. Gary confirms the story, saying the patriarch didn't go through with the plan because "you never know what the outcome is going to be when you send people like that to do something."

Robyn eventually resigned as creative director after an ultimatum she gave to Whitney to choose between her or Bobby, and Whitney ended up sticking by her husband. The film goes on to allege that John soon began stealing Whitney's money, taking so much that she fell flat broke. The betrayal severed the singer's relationship with her father, so much so that she apparently didn't go to visit until he passed away.

Her Relationship With Bobby Brown Began With Ulterior Motives.

As the film details Whitney's relationship with Bobby Brown, it's hard not to wonder whether their marriage was one of genuine love. When Whitney meets Bobby, she's just starting to shoot to super stardom and facing the backlash of fans who thought her crossover sound made her music "too white." The documentary revisits her being loudly booed at the 1989 Soul Train Awards [5] after being nominated for an award. However, fans weren't only hounding Whitney because of her music; there were also constant questions about her intimate relationship with Robyn.

Enter Bobby Brown, fresh from leaving New Edition and making his moves as a solo artist. He was beloved by black audiences and oozed so much sexual appeal that everybody wanted a piece of him. The film doesn't even try to be subtle in implying that Whitney may have gone for Bobby for more than just his good looks. Mary Jones does concede that the pair did love one another, though their relationship wasn't healthy for either one of them. With the addition of heavy drug use — which her brother Michael openly admits to getting Whitney hooked on when she was a teenager — cheating, Bobby's animosity towards Robyn, and frequent trips to jail for Bobby, their relationship was a tumultuous one.

Whitney's Success Caused Strife in Her Marriage With Bobby Brown

As Whitney's star continued to shine brighter after The Bodyguard, Bobby grew resentful of her rising fame. Interviewees reveal that Whitney made an effort to give Bobby more responsibility with her brand in attempts to make him happy, even offering to let him manager her. But Bobby was a performer, like Whitney, and wanted to be on the stage — not a plus one. It didn't help that he was also jealous of Whitney's relationship with Robyn.

The birth of their daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, didn't solve things between the two. Though Whitney very obviously loved Bobbi Kristina (a clip of Bobbi interrupting Whitney mid-concert [6] actually brought tears to the audience during my screening) it was also obvious that her and Bobby's marriage caused their daughter to grow up way too soon. Interviews throughout the documentary describe how Whitney kept Bobbi Kristina close to her as a child, even bringing her on tour. But as she got older it was harder for the singer to give her daughter the focus and attention she needed. Bobby and Whitney would leave Bobbi Kristina to be cared for by others while they gave into their bad habits.

Whitney Was Planning an Unplugged Concert Tour

According to several interviewees, including former manager Pat Houston, Whitney was still making plans for the future before she died. Her time working on Sparkle seemed to inspire her to get back into working again. It was a requirement that she stay clean and submit to drug testing regularly while on set and the change seemed to rejuvenate her. Nicole David, Whitney's longtime agent, said she believed it was the work that changed her. "I think it was the joy of having a purpose – of being able to get up in the morning and know, you had a job, you had people who wanted to be around you, you were part of a community," she revealed. "I really saw her come back to life."

Pat even said that she had been thinking about going on another concert tour: Whitney Unplugged, with just the singer and her band, no backup singers. "Just her and the musicians just kicking it," she said.