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CNN Live At Daybreak

Whitney Houston Interviewed by Diane Sawyer

Aired December 05, 2002 - 05:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We're all talking about the Whitney Houston interview with Diane Sawyer that aired last night. It was something else -- sex addiction, drug use, just some of the things Whitney has had to battle. That's according to the Grammy winning singer herself.
Anne McDermott has details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY HOUSTON: And I will always love you, I...

ANNE MCDERMOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But lately Whitney's gotten a little, well, weird. Here's Miss. Houston mugging with husband Bobby Brown during his latest court appearance. This one had to do with a 1996 traffic stop, but he's had plenty of other problems. But it wasn't supposed to be that way with Whitney.

HOUSTON: Thank you. God bless you.

MCDERMOTT: She was the good girl with the gospel background and the soaring voice who began churning out hits like this one when she was just 21.

HOUSTON: Ooh, tell me, how will I know?

MCDERMOTT: But there have been incidents in recent years. She now admits she was fired from an appearance in the 2000 Oscars show. She was replaced by Faith Hill. That same year an airport security guard accused her of having marijuana in her purse. The charges were dropped. Yet the drug rumors didn't die, thanks to a noticeable weight loss.

The word was out, Houston, you have a problem, which in Hollywood means time to go to confession on TV.

DIANE SAWYER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is it alcohol? Is it marijuana? Is it cocaine? Is it pills?

HOUSTON: It has been at times.

SAWYER: All?

HOUSTON: At times.

SAWYER: If you had to name the devil for you, the biggest devil among them? HOUSTON: That would be me. It's my deciding. It's my heart. It's what I want and what I don't want. Nobody makes me do anything I don't want to do. It's my decision. So the bigger devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy and that's how I have to deal with it.

SAWYER: Do you think of yourself as an addict?

HOUSTON: I am addicted to a few things.

SAWYER: Like?

HOUSTON: Making love.

MCDERMOTT: Houston said the bad days are behind her, which is good for her much adored daughter. And now Houston's got that new album to promote.

SAWYER:

HOUSTON: One of those days...

MCDERMOTT: No doubt she'd like it to soar, just the way she once did.

SAWYER:

HOUSTON: You, I will always love you...

MCDERMOTT: Anne McDermott, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired December 5, 2002 - 05:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We're all talking about the Whitney Houston interview with Diane Sawyer that aired last night. It was something else -- sex addiction, drug use, just some of the things Whitney has had to battle. That's according to the Grammy winning singer herself.
Anne McDermott has details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY HOUSTON: And I will always love you, I...

ANNE MCDERMOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But lately Whitney's gotten a little, well, weird. Here's Miss. Houston mugging with husband Bobby Brown during his latest court appearance. This one had to do with a 1996 traffic stop, but he's had plenty of other problems. But it wasn't supposed to be that way with Whitney.

HOUSTON: Thank you. God bless you.

MCDERMOTT: She was the good girl with the gospel background and the soaring voice who began churning out hits like this one when she was just 21.

HOUSTON: Ooh, tell me, how will I know?

MCDERMOTT: But there have been incidents in recent years. She now admits she was fired from an appearance in the 2000 Oscars show. She was replaced by Faith Hill. That same year an airport security guard accused her of having marijuana in her purse. The charges were dropped. Yet the drug rumors didn't die, thanks to a noticeable weight loss.

The word was out, Houston, you have a problem, which in Hollywood means time to go to confession on TV.

DIANE SAWYER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is it alcohol? Is it marijuana? Is it cocaine? Is it pills?

HOUSTON: It has been at times.

SAWYER: All?

HOUSTON: At times.

SAWYER: If you had to name the devil for you, the biggest devil among them? HOUSTON: That would be me. It's my deciding. It's my heart. It's what I want and what I don't want. Nobody makes me do anything I don't want to do. It's my decision. So the bigger devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy and that's how I have to deal with it.

SAWYER: Do you think of yourself as an addict?

HOUSTON: I am addicted to a few things.

SAWYER: Like?

HOUSTON: Making love.

MCDERMOTT: Houston said the bad days are behind her, which is good for her much adored daughter. And now Houston's got that new album to promote.

SAWYER:

HOUSTON: One of those days...

MCDERMOTT: No doubt she'd like it to soar, just the way she once did.

SAWYER:

HOUSTON: You, I will always love you...

MCDERMOTT: Anne McDermott, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com