Is Whitney Houston Gay? Explore The Singer’s Sexuality By Revisiting The Relationships In Her Life

While we’d never truly know whether Whitney Houston was gay, her life was definitely filled with rumors, especially regarding her relationship with her best friend, Robyn Crawford, back in the late '80s. You know, the talk about their connection persisted for years, and in an interview with Us Weekly, Bobby Brown, Whitney's ex-husband, seemed to confirm that there was something more to their relationship, implying that Whitney might have identified as bisexual.

And it doesn't stop there! Music producer Clive Davis added more insight during an interview with Extra, revealing that Whitney and Robyn had a teenage affair that lasted about a year. But here's the thing, despite these revelations, Davis was quick to clarify that any rumors connecting this relationship to Whitney's struggles with addiction were totally off the mark.

Now, here's the twist: the Whitney Houston gay rumor mill was turning, Whitney Houston herself never publicly confirmed or denied these rumors. So, as of now, we're left to believe that she might have identified as gay or queer, but without her own words, it's all speculation.

While her relationship with Robyn Crawford was never more than a rumor, Whitney Houston had several romantic relationships with men throughout her life. 

• Bobby Brown:

Whitney Houston was married to Bobby Brown from 1992 to 2007. They had a daughter together, Bobbi Kristina Brown, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 22. During their marriage, there were reports of abuse against Whitney by Bobby Brown. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Whitney Houston revealed that Bobby Brown had spit on her and that she had hit him over the head with a phone. 

Whitney Houston’s best friend, Robyn Crawford, also detailed alleged abuse by Bobby Brown in her memoir, stating that she saw and heard him speak to Whitney in ways that were demeaning and talked down to her.

• Eddie Murphy:

Whitney Houston and Eddie Murphy dated in the mid-1980s. A family friend and employee, Ellen White, opened up to People Magazine saying: “I watched them once at a party. Eddie came in, cameras were flashing and they just looked at each other and talked and laughed like they were the only two people in the room.”

• Ray J:

Whitney Houston was romantically linked to R&B singer Ray J following her divorce from Bobby Brown in 2007. While the two never explicitly confirmed their relationship, they were spotted together just weeks before Houston's death in 2012. In 2012, insiders told TMZ that Ray J was "crushed" by Houston's death.

• Randall Cunningham:

Whitney Houston and Randall Cunningham, a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), dated from June 1985 to September 1987. During a May 1991 interview with Ebony Magazine, Whitney Houston referred to Randall as a “tall, fine, good-looking man,” but went into greater detail about his character.

• Jermaine Jackson:

Another rumor that circulated in the mid-1980s was that Whitney Houston had an affair with Jermaine Jackson while they were recording the duet “If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful” for Jackson’s 1986 album "Precious Moments.

 In the film “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, which was made with the cooperation of Houston’s estate and her mentor Clive Davis, it is depicted that Houston and Jackson had strong emotions when they recorded together, which eventually led to an affair. Jackson’s sister, LaToya, also said in a 2012 interview on “The Talk” that her brother had acknowledged the relationship.

In addition to these confirmed relationships, there have been rumors and speculations about other romantic connections Whitney Houston may have had. For example, her ex-husband Bobby Brown claimed in his memoir that Whitney Houston had an affair with Tupac Shakur in 1994. Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were also rumored to be dating in 1991.

There is no concrete evidence that Whitney was queer. Her relationships have primarily been with men. And with Whitney passing away in 2007, we might never know the answer for sure. 

However, her friend, Robyn Crawford's book appeared to confirm that the singer embraced her queerness during her lifetime. In her book, Crawford said she and Houston had a relationship that spanned many years and continued throughout the singer's marriage to Bobby Brown. So, is Whitney Houston gay? No one really knows, but maybe the late singer is bisexual, just as her ex-husband said.