Kevin Costner revealed this week that CNN tried to get him to shorten the eulogy he planned to deliver for Whitney Houston at her 2012 funeral.
The Yellowstone star, 69, shared that the news network asked her to cut her tribute to her late Bodyguard star so it could work during commercial breaks while she chatted with Dax Shepard, 49, for their Armchair expert podcast.
But Costner, who recently said he “took a beating” from Yellowstone producers after he chose to remain silent amid conflicts over the show’s final season, wasn’t about to cut a word from his eulogy, and dared CNN to cut. to commercial in the middle of his speech.
Costner was one of eight people who spoke at Houston’s funeral, which was held in Newark, New Jersey.
The legendary singer was found dead in a bathtub on February 11, 2012, just hours before attending Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy Awards party. She was only 48 years old.
Kevin Costner, 69, spoke about resisting CNN’s request that he shorten his eulogy for Whitney Houston at her 2012 funeral on Monday’s episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast; photographed in February 2012 at the Houston funeral.
The legendary singer was found dead in a bathtub on February 11, 2012, just hours before attending Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy Awards party. She was only 48 years old; photographed in 2009 in London
It was later determined that he had died from accidental drowning due to a combination of chronic cocaine abuse and heart disease.
Toxicology reports later indicated that Houston had used cocaine shortly before her death, and that she also had Benadryl, the benzodiazepine Xanax, cannabis and the muscle relaxant Flexeril in her system.
While speaking about his contribution to the memorial service, Costner told Shepard that issues about his speech, which lasted just under 20 minutes, arose shortly after he put the finishing touches on it.
“I had been working on this speech… and I tried to put together everything I wanted to do and finally put together this speech,” he explained. “Someone said, ‘CNN is here, you wouldn’t mind if your comments were shorter because they’re going to have commercials.'”
But Costner wasn’t interested in giving his former co-star an abbreviated eulogy to appease CNN’s commercial desires.
“I said, ‘You can get over that. You can play the commercial while I’m talking, I don’t care,'” he recalled saying.
It is unclear whether CNN or other cable news channels ultimately removed his speech to air commercials or whether they aired his text in its entirety.
The Horizon star recalled the discomfort she felt before giving her speech, as she was worried about going on too long even for some of the attendees or other speakers.
‘There were some people who really wanted to talk, and they were staring at me. What was I going to say?’ Costner recalled. “I started and about 17 minutes later I finished.”
Other speakers at the event included Houston’s longtime friend, producer and mentor Clive Davis, as well as her cousin Dionne Warwick, her musical director Rickey Minor and her security guard Ray Watson.
Aretha Franklin, Houston’s ‘honorary aunt’, was also scheduled to sing a song in memory of the late singer, but did not attend the service.
“I had been working on this speech…and I tried to put together everything I wanted to do and finally put together this speech,” Costner explained. ‘Someone said, “CNN is here, you wouldn’t mind if your comments were shorter because they’re going to have commercials”‘; seen at the funeral in 2012 in Newark, New Jersey
But Costner wasn’t interested in giving his former co-star an abbreviated eulogy to appease CNN’s commercial desires. “I said, ‘You can get over that. “You can play the commercial while I’m talking, I don’t care,” he recalled saying; Pictured on May 17 in Cannes, France.
Other speakers at the event included Houston’s longtime friend, producer and mentor Clive Davis (pictured with her in 2007), as well as her cousin Dionne Warwick, her musical director Rickey Minor and her security guard Ray Watson.
Costner starred with Houston in the 1992 smash hit The Bodyguard. He played a former Secret Service agent hired to protect a Houston pop star from a crazed stalker.
Costner also explained to Shepard that it was Warwick’s pleas and encouragement that convinced him to deliver the eulogy.
“I could feel the weight on her, now it’s shifted to me,” he said of the praise. ‘What am I going to say about this girl?’ he recalled worriedly.
But everything seemed to fall into place with his speech once he arrived at the monument.
‘(I went back) to that church in Newark and it was full. “It was electric,” he recounted. ‘There were two bands playing, the church was alive. It was like, boom!’
Costner worked with Houston on his 1992 romantic drama The Bodyguard, in which the singer bolstered her authentic performance by playing a lookalike pop star who was threatened by a crazed stalker.
Costner played a former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard hired to protect Houston’s character, although his romantic feelings threaten to get in the way of his duty.
The film earned mixed reviews, but was very popular among viewers. It became the second highest-grossing film of 1992 and at the time was the tenth highest-grossing film of all time.
The Houston soundtrack was also a huge success, becoming the best-selling soundtrack and the best-selling album by a woman.
It featured Houston’s version of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You, which became closely associated with her.
The single spent 14 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, which broke a record at the time.
Costner’s next big project is his Western epic Horizon: An American Saga, which has now grown to four planned films.
The film earned mixed reviews, but was very popular among viewers. It became the second highest-grossing film of 1992 and at the time was the tenth highest-grossing film of all time.
Costner’s next big project is his Western epic Horizon: An American Saga, which has now grown to four planned films. The first two will be released this year and the third began filming in May.
He filmed the first two films back to back and they are scheduled to be released in June and August this year.
The star, co-writer and director began filming the third part of the series in 2023, but it was delayed due to strikes by writers and actors in Hollywood before starting in earnest in May of this year. Costner is also developing a fourth film.
However, the first Horizon film received mixed reviews when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and some box office forecasters fear the films are doomed to fail.
However, Costner’s popularity on the western crime series Yellowstone, and the recent lack of new episodes for fans, may encourage some viewers to check out Costner’s multi-part western epic.