Oct 19 2009 12:43 PM ET

Whitney Houston wardrobe malfunction: Yikes, she really didn't need that...

Whitney Houston suffered a minor wardrobe malfunction on Sunday night’s most-watched episode ever of British talent competition X-Factor when the strap on the back of her dress popped open (about 2:20 in the video below) midway through her performance. At first she seems genuinely surprised and even gives an embarrassing shrug. But it’s at about 2:30 in the clip that rage rears its head — likely the moment her stylist packed up and quietly left the building rather than wait backstage for the imminent beatdown that surely awaited (notice the “Who will answer for this?!” glance around the stage at the end). If the stylist is still alive and well today, it’s only because Ms. Houston hadn’t also tripped over the long train on that gown, but I’d venture a guess that his or her days of working for Whitney are Oh-Oh-Ooooh-Oh-ver.

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  • Paul

    It was Sunday, not Saturday.

  • brandy

    hot, hot mess.

    • James

      Is she pregnant? That dress was so not flattering and she sounded so not great when she was singing. It was OK though until she started to speak. Are we sure she’s clean & sober?

  • Walnut Hill

    IMO, not the greatest choice of dress for her to be wearing in the first place.

  • CanUK

    nevermind the fact that she had clearly popped some oxycodin backstage before the show, she was almost as bad as robbie williams the week before, but he was clearly coked out, completely different

    • gfe

      Thank-you. I was beginning to wonder if this was going to become a routine. Alexandra and Cheryl first act, both amazing, then bring on the lack luster “Star” acts who are high off their minds.

  • Patrick

    She sounds like sh*t.

  • Troy

    Her voice ain’t what it once was… but love that she actually sang live (unlike some of her rivals) and loved the energy. She looks happy & healthy. I’m lovin’ Whit’s return.

  • eva e

    I’m afraid she lost her great voice to drugs. Sorry Whitney. She sounds bad. In the interview, she shouldn’ have been asked any hard questions like “when the new album out” to which the interviewer doesn’t get an answer until she asks herself ‘oh album’. pitiful

  • randolph smithwilliams

    Patrick, are you aware that there is something called the remote control? invest in a new television , and remember touse the off button.

    • stryker

      Maybe he just watched it now VIA THE LINK like I did. And yes, it did sound like sh*t. You must have had your TV on mute.

  • graeme

    wow, she sounded awful.

  • JT

    Um, back fat, sagging breasts, belly… her stylist should have been fired even before the malfunction. Yes, her voice is shot, but the performance was fun, and I didn’t see the “rage” this blogger appears to have imagined.

  • Rock Golf

    You’re missing the best (or perhaps worst) part of X Factor. The indescribably awful John & Edward, twin 16 year old boys whose ego are as inflated as their talent is miniscule.
    They are so awful they make Sanjaya look like Adam Lambert by comparison.
    This week they covered Britney Spears “Oops! I Did It Again” in matching shiny red jumpsuits. Tuneless. out of sync with the dancers and each other.
    And to top it off, they even recreated that spoken word bit where Britney’s boyfreind gives her the jewel from Titanic. You’ll simultaneously laugh & throw up a little in your mouth.
    Simon Cowell described perfectly why they haven’t made the bottom two despite their unmitigated horridnees. “I feel the same as the first time I watched “The Exorcist”. I thought it was awful but I can’t wait to see it again.”
    Search YouTube for “John & Edward” “x factor”. You will not be disappointed.

    • hmmm

      I AGREEE..
      their a bit like ant and dec aren’t they.. but annoying, and they really can’t sing to save their lives.. but somehow.. entertaining… I’d like them to do hosting gigs though.. they’d be fun personalities on TV.. somewhat like the brit version of heidi montag.. and what’s her husband’s name…

    • Caryn

      omg – you were sooo right! That was laughably awful… how do they keep making it through??

  • darclyte

    She looked out of it.
    Her voice is shot.
    The song is terrible.
    If she had been a contestant, Simon would have savaged her and that god awful song.
    She really seemed to be on something akin to Prozac.
    Sad really.

  • Brooke

    I suspect that the high ratings for this episode were for X-Factor judge and UK darling Cheryl Cole’s first solo performance, not this trainwreck.

    • hmmm

      come on… although i love cheryl cole.. cheryl cant match up to whitney.. u must have just watched the first minute.. even I was skeptical at the first minute.. but when the beat paced.. whitney.. revved up.. and unleashed that voice!!

  • JG

    I think it was a fun, energetic performance. She handled the “malfunction” like a trooper and just kept on singing. And even joked about it afterwards. Nice to have her back!! =)

  • Tony

    Whitney Did the damn thing and I am sure that whomever was responsible for that caught Holy hell when she got backstage! Overall I think it was a Great performance and that she rocked the damn place!!! Her interview was good and she was just a little winded afterwards but hell the edge of being live and then your dress implodes on you, come on give her a break, she has been doing her thang and she will continue to do so, Love You Whitney!!!!!

  • Sarah

    Entertainment weekly i am ashamed of you. You continue to attack Houston while she continues to gain in sales while your magazines sales are in the toilet.
    You guys are such hateful liers that i can’t wait until your fired. It was a Great performance and i can’t wait to see W hitney at the Grammys! Haters get a life. Interesting enough you gave Mariah Carey a good review and Carey’s new Album has been a flop with disappointing sales. Well you guys have no credibility now.

    • Brooke

      Because sales are ALWAYS indicative of quality.

      • Patrick

        LMAO.

        Sales have nothing to do with quality. Vanilla Ice’s debut album went 7x Platinum in the US, does that make it good?

      • Bill

        Patrick, I do believe that Brooke was being sarcastic

    • Michael

      I agree. I think it is sad that EW, doesn’t want to accept that Whitney has returned, and she is outselling a lot of the other divas like Madonna and Mariah right now. Their albums have been dissapointments in sales, but Whitney has sold around 700,000 in nearly 2 months with I Look To You.

      • Patrick

        Madonna’s current album is a barely promoted greatest hits album you fool.

      • to patrick

        so? whitney’s cd is still outselling it.

  • Weavermomo

    SHe handled it well as she could, too bad though her voice is gone, still pretty good but is was one of the best before.

  • JP

    There’s a reason why there keeping her out of America that performance was just horrible she messed up the first verse 10 times.

  • KR

    I couldn’t watch more than 15 seconds, she sounds terrible.

  • Badger31201

    Someone get that DOG of a dress off of her! Ugh! What miserable “Project Runway” reject designed that piece of crap?

  • Rach

    not to mention she seemed totally not with it all when being interviewed by dermot oleary.

    • Sally in Chicago

      That was probably from jet lag. And I don’t think the air in London was that warm, she wore a fur coat…so that may have had something to do with it too.

  • Phil

    She looked awful. That dress didn’t fit her. If anything, HELL, i’d dare say she almost looked like she was pregnant, which I TRULY hope isn’t the case! I always tend to disagree with Simon, but as I said in one of the blog items a month ago, this so called COME BACK her die hard fans are rooting for isn’t going as easy as they planned. to date, “Million Dollar Bill” hasn’t even cracked the top 50 mark on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. here the Urban single “I Look To You” is the only song left on the charts (just barely) & the album has already dropped out of the top 10 after a month. I really hope her label releases the Freemasons Remix, and hope that they release the remixes soon & that the Freemasons edit is THE ONE they should try & work the to top 40 radio if they want a hit. And that performance was mediocre at best, and thats not saying much. Glad she could at least get into the spirit and put her “one hand In the air” but i honestly saw a dancefloor of queens show more enegry when that record was dropped Saturday night.

  • Michael

    I thought Whitney handled it well. I think it is sad that EW keeps attacking her from her past problems. She has been away from the spotlight for a awhile. Maybe it is because Mike Bruno has some personal issues about Whitney. He still thinks of her as nothing more than the crack is whack girl. Say something a little more mature Mike when you say something about a celebrity, this was why Michael Jackson died.

    • Andy

      Well said Michael…I could not agree more…Everyone needs to get a life and stop concentrating on what is not important… They are on the stage and we are not…

  • Chuck

    Whitney looked and sounded AMAZING!!! She had a mishap with her dress strap but handled it with grace and dignity like the seanoned performer she is on live TV if front of millions – GIVE THE DIVA A BREAK!!! Her album is #1 all over the world – “Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years!” GO WHITNEY – We will always love you!!!

  • Fatima

    I don’t understand why people get off on being so cruel.

    This shouldn’t have been a problem for Whitney though. I just recently watched a lot of her videos and I noticed she stands still in almost all of them since the early 90s. Like she literally doesn’t move her feet.

  • Sally in Chicago

    GF should change up her outfits and go leather and jeans. The long gowns are tricky; you can trip on them coming down the steps and all that.
    However, she was in better voice this time. Some are saying the talked a little loopy, but that was probably jet lag.

  • hmmm

    Are you all crazy??? I’m not really a fan of whitney.. in fact I’ve never really seen her perform.. and I never understood what the big deal with whitney was. She has a big voice, but a lot of other artists nowadays have big voices.. and then I saw this performance and I got it… she’s very commanding, although initially it appears draggy.. but when she gets to the groove.. she’s the DIVA. After this video.. I viewed other videos.. and got hooked.. she has that.. feel at home personality, saying whatever she wants.. and doing whatever.. but when she sings.. she commands..

  • BH

    Really a mess. First, why would you go out on stage with a dress hat long that you keep stepping on? Does not make sense. Then the straps. As for her vocal, while it did improve towards the end, it was really not very strong or in tune. I like her, but she has messed up her voice – I hope it can somehow be saved.

  • Karena

    OMG- I don’t know if Whitney wasn’t ready to ‘come back’, should have waited, or shouldn’t have come back period- but she’s lost the entire upper register of her once great voice! I’ve listened to several cuts of the new album on youtube and I guess the drugs and lifetyle ruined her larynx because she’s got nothing that she used to. What a shame. When this album bombs, I can see Bobby getting right back in there. Sad to say it but maybe she should have thought this thing through a little more, or was ill advised. But I know she needs the money. Such a shame. It’s going to rude awakening for her when she gets no emmy noms, and sales are mediocre. Poor Whitney! The dress looked like an ugly bathing suit top with a sheet hanging from it. Cheap and ill fitting. UGH!

  • Kael

    I have to applaud her for being a good sport at first-and saying she sung herself out of her clothes. I also think she looks medicated every time I’ve seen her on camera. Or maybe there’s just been too much damage. So sad. Maybe she can serve a higher function now if Bin Laden is still obsessed with her- put her out there as bait!

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