Just one day away from the premiere of Lifetime’s “The Houstons: On Our Own,” the family of the late Whitney Houston opened up on the therapeutic effect of the reality show, and their hopes for Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney’s daughter.
“The show has kept the family close together, (instead of) isolated from one another. We talk about things, we are very open, and we pay attention to the ones who need consoling the most,” Pat Houston, Whitney’s long-time manager and sister-in-law, told Reuters in an interview. “Doing the show certainly has helped in a huge way.”
“There are preconceptions about the family that just aren’t true. We are a strong family, a working family, and a typical family. Our family member just happens to be an icon,” she added. “You will see a family that is grieving, that loves one another. You will see a family that is trying to move on.”
Pat appeared on The View with her husband Gary Houston and Whitney’s mother Cissy, who talked about the difficulty of looking after her granddaughter Bobbi Kristina. Cissy and Marion Houston are currently in the process of restructuring Bobbi Kristina’s inheritance as the executors of Whitney’s estate.
“When you have a teenager who is 19-years-old, who loses her mother and really don’t feel like she has to listen, you can’t make anybody do anything,” the elder Houston said. “You try to suggest and you try to guide her and all that kinda business and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do, trying to guide her into a life that’s going to make her better.”
The show is currently scheduled for a 14-episode run, and the premiere will lead into a November month filled with tributes to Whitney. These will include a compilation album of Whitney’s hits, as well the November 16 airing of the one-hour special “We Will Always Love You: A Grammy Salute to Whitney Houston.” The first episode of “On Our Own” will air October 24 at 9pm.
