Whitney Houston's Bodyguard I Was There ... Here's What Happened!

Published June 25, 2026 1:00 AM PDT

Whitney Houston wasn't high when she fell off Oprah's stage, at least not according to her bodyguard ... and he says he would know because he was there for it all.

Ray Watson sat down with TMZ's Charlie Neff to recall the moment the iconic artist took a tumble during her 2009 appearance on Oprah's talk show.

He says she was coming towards the front of the stage and couldn't see the edge ... and that's why she went down.

Ray explained the edge of the stage was in a dark spot and someone had tried to call out for her to be careful, but no luck.

But he says Whitney wasn't embarrassed ... instead she laughed it off.

That's a different version of events from Oprah's side of the story ... because the media mogul claimed Whitney was high as a kite when she fell.

Ray -- who was Whitney's personal bodyguard for more than a dozen years -- disagrees saying the singer simply stepped in the wrong spot ... and he would've done the same.

As we previously reported, Whitney's estate is pissed about the narrative Oprah's running with, and blamed the fall on her poorly lit stage.

But Ray -- who was the first person to discover her body when she tragically passed in 2012 -- doesn't think Oprah owes Whitney's family or fans an apology ... unless she actually means it.

Check out the full interview on YouTube to hear what Ray had to say about working with Whitney, how he dealt with her tragic death, and what he thinks people should remember her by.