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Cape Town – In a highly emotional "hot topic" segment, talk show host Wendy Williams of The Wendy Williams Show, cracked up and broke down live on air, talking about the death of Whitney Houston and both their lives as drug addicts.
As a recovering drug addict herself, the emotional Williams said her dream for Houston was redemption one day - a dream which will never be realised.
"Everybody's talking about it. After I say what I say, I'm not talking about it anymore. You'll have to turn on Entertainment Tonight or The View. I'm out."
"Whitney and I - the same age. And both plagued with the demon of substance abuse," said Williams.
Smoking from a crack pipe
"It's been almost 15 years since I smoked last from a crack pipe," confessed a downcast Williams who started sobbing.
"It's been almost 15 years since I waded to Rome Avenue in the Bronx … for my … drugs."
As Williams struggled to push the words out, an audience member could be heard shouting, "We love you, Wendy."
"I'm not proud of the girl that I was. But without that girl I wouldn't be the woman that I am today. I wished for us both to be really sober and to be really aware.
"I always pictured us being in our late 50s, 60s, with her being the number one spokesperson for 'Say No'. I just thought that we would meet, we would hug, and we'd be older and sober."
The addict
Looking straight into the camera and with conviction, Williams continued: "She's my Jersey girl. She's a woman like me - part of the subculture of our society: the addict."
In silence the camera panned out and across The Wendy Williams Show studio audience.
Solemn audience members held up mounted Whitney Houston photographs as the segment faded to black.
The Wendy Williams Show airs weekdays on BET (TopTV 190) with episodes seen the same day in South Africa as America.
Watch Wendy Williams talk about Whitney on her show here:
As a recovering drug addict herself, the emotional Williams said her dream for Houston was redemption one day - a dream which will never be realised.
"Everybody's talking about it. After I say what I say, I'm not talking about it anymore. You'll have to turn on Entertainment Tonight or The View. I'm out."
"Whitney and I - the same age. And both plagued with the demon of substance abuse," said Williams.
Smoking from a crack pipe
"It's been almost 15 years since I smoked last from a crack pipe," confessed a downcast Williams who started sobbing.
"It's been almost 15 years since I waded to Rome Avenue in the Bronx … for my … drugs."
As Williams struggled to push the words out, an audience member could be heard shouting, "We love you, Wendy."
"I'm not proud of the girl that I was. But without that girl I wouldn't be the woman that I am today. I wished for us both to be really sober and to be really aware.
"I always pictured us being in our late 50s, 60s, with her being the number one spokesperson for 'Say No'. I just thought that we would meet, we would hug, and we'd be older and sober."
The addict
Looking straight into the camera and with conviction, Williams continued: "She's my Jersey girl. She's a woman like me - part of the subculture of our society: the addict."
In silence the camera panned out and across The Wendy Williams Show studio audience.
Solemn audience members held up mounted Whitney Houston photographs as the segment faded to black.
The Wendy Williams Show airs weekdays on BET (TopTV 190) with episodes seen the same day in South Africa as America.
Watch Wendy Williams talk about Whitney on her show here:
