Whitney Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston, has released a statement dismissing Lifetime’s biopic on the singer, saying that she does not support it.

Lifetime’s I Will Always Love You: The Whitney Houston Story stars Yaya DaCosta as the legendary singer and will focus on her rise to fame and her volatile relationship with Bobby Brown, as played by Arlen Escarpeta. The made for TV movie, directed by Angela Bassett, made headlines when it released a first look at DaCosta as Houston.

Cissy Houston Does Not Approve Of Lifetime Movie

The likeness is striking, but fans are still conflicted about the film. Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown tweeted about the film, saying she was angry at Bassett for not casting her as her mother. And now, Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston has spoken out about the film, confirming that the Houston family does not support the film.

“Lifetime has chosen to go ahead with the movie about Whitney in spite of my family’s objections. No one connected with this movie knew Whitney or anything about her relationship with Bobby,” Cissy Houston said in her statement.

It should be noted that Bassett actually worked with Houston in 1995’s Waiting to Exhale, though the extent of their relationship is unknown. Cissy Houston continues to claim that the film will surely end up being another piece of celebrity gossip, full of misinformation, instead of an accurate representation of her daughter.

“We are exhausted by the continuing misinformation and comments offered by people who did not know her. Please, please let her rest,” Cissy Houston concluded.

Outside of the family’s opposition to the film, I Will Always Love You: The Whitney Houston Story has also received backlash for the decision not to use Houston’s actual vocals in the film. Instead, R&B singer Deborah Cox will be singing the part, with DaCosta lip syncing on the screen.

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Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.