Whitney Houston is easily one of the most talented vocalists of her generation. Some would even argue that she has one of the most beautiful voices of all time. Over the course of her career, Whitney became one of the highest-selling artists the world has ever seen. She was responsible for giving us hits like “I’m Your Baby Tonight”, “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”, and her own version of “I Will Always Love You”. While it goes without saying that music was always Whitney’s main focus, she also had a pretty impressive acting career. Most notably, she starred opposite Kevin Costner in the 1992 movie The Bodyguard. What many people don’t realize, however, is that Whitney almost had another major credit to add to her acting resume. She was almost cast in one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, The Cosby Show. Keep reading to learn more about how Whitney Houston was almost on The Cosby Show.
How Whitney Houston Was Almost Cast in The Cosby Show
When The Cosby Show debuted in the fall of 1984, it quickly got lots of attention. Although there had been other Black sitcoms prior to the show, The Cosby Show was unique in the sense that it depicted an upper-middle-class Black family where both parents had high profile jobs. While the show’s premise was a big part of its success, the cast was even more instrumental in turning the show into a hit. Whitney Houston was almost a part of that.
During an interview with the Television Academy, the show’s director, Jay Sandrich shared that Whitney Houston was almost chosen for the role of Sondra Huxtable. However, when it was time to sign the contract, Whitney realized that she couldn’t commit to the terms of the show. Sandrich explained that Whitney expressed that she wanted to be a singer and knew that she wouldn’t be available to film every episode of The Cosby Show as a result. At the time, Whitney’s singing career was still in its infancy, but she had confidence that she would eventually become a star.
Although turning down The Cosby Show may have seemed like a risky move at the time, we all know that things worked out quite nicely for Whitney’s career. Before the end of the first season of the show, Whitney had released her self-titled debut album which featured three hit songs: “How Will I Know”, “Saving All My Love For You”, and “The Greatest Love of All”.
The role of Sondra Huxtable ultimately went to Sabrina La Beauf. Sondra, who was the oldest Huxtable child, was a college student when the show started which meant that she wasn’t living in the house with the rest of the family. Over the course of the show, she appeared in fewer episodes than her on-screen siblings. Sabrina La Beauf did such a good job in the role that it’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing the part. At the same time, though, it’s also easy to believe that Whitney Houston would’ve been a great addition to the cast as well.
Whitney Houston’s Work As an Actress
Despite turning down the chance to be one of the Huxtable children, Whitney still went on to have a great acting career. After making her acting debut in The Bodyguard, Whitney showed the world that singing wasn’t her only creative talent. In 1995, she earned a main role in the movie Waiting to Exhale which was based on the book of the same name by Terry McMillan. She closed the decade out with roles in The Preacher’s Wife and Cinderella before taking a more than 10-year hiatus from acting.
While it would’ve been nice to see her make more on-screen appearances, it was far more important to her to share her voice with the world which is something she did for more than 20 years. On occasion, she was still able to tap into her acting skills thanks to her music videos.
Whitney Houston’s Legacy
When Whitney Houston passed in 2012, she was only 48 years old. Although she had been through lots of ups and downs over the years, and her struggles with addiction were no secret, her death was still a surprise. People all over the world were saddened by the loss and there was an instant outpouring of love. Although her time on earth was cut short, her legacy continues to live on through her acting performances and all of the beautiful songs she gave us. Even if you weren’t a fan of hers, you have to admit that there will never be another like Whitney Houston.
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