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Dionne Warwick is denying accusations her sister Dee Dee Warwick sexually assaulted her cousin, Whitney Houston. The alleged family secret was revealed in the recently released documentary, Whitney.
Whitney’s brother Gary revealed he too was allegedly molested by Dee Dee from the age of seven to nine.
Warwick spoke with Larry King Now, calling the claims, made by Whitney’s former assistant Mary Jones, “evil.”
“I have tried to refrain from responding to that,” Dionne said. “First of all, it’s totally hogwash. My sister would never, ever have done anything to do any harm to any child, especially within our family. And for those lies to be perpetuated in this so-called documentary film, I think it’s evil.”
Warwick isn’t the only family member to denounce these accusations. Cissy Houston recently released a statement to PEOPLE on behalf of herself and Dionne Warwick.
“We cannot overstate the shock and horror we feel and the difficulty we have believing that my niece Dee Dee Warwick . . . molested two of my three children.”
It’s understandable that Dionne and Cissy both want to protect fellow singer Dee Dee’s legacy, but some would say it’s irresponsible of both of the women to simply dismiss the sexual abuse accusations.
“I was close to Whitney, she confided in me and I struggled tremendously deciding whether to share this secret or keep to myself,” Jones said in a statement of the alleged abuse. “I deeply love and respect Dionne, Cissy and their entire families, and my intention was never to embarrass anyone in the family, but rather to bring to light that Whitney was subjected to something painful and troubling as a child. And it’s something that happens to other innocent kids and goes unspoken too much.”
Despite the belief that Jones revealed the secret for some personal gain, she claims she put it out there in an effort to humanize Whitney and her struggles.
“I decided to share the story so that people might understand that throughout her entire life Whitney carried this with her, and the weight of it was immense,” she said. “Whitney was a wonderful woman, an angel, and she did not drag herself down all alone — there was a cause.”
Dionne maintains her stance on the accusations, and with neither Dee Dee or Whitney here to speak on them, the truth of it all will remain a mystery.
Dionne’s full interview airs August 15 on Hulu.
