Stacy Francis belted out Whitney Houston’s “Queen of the Night” on “The X Factor” and has always been a fan of the late superstar.
Now, with rumors swirling that she and Whitney had a physical altercation at a club just two nights before her tragic death, Stacy sat down with Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson to set the record straight.
“You and Whitney were having such a great conversation. At some point in night things turned. What happened?” Shaun asked Stacy, in an exclusive interview with Access on Wednesday.
“I’m not sure what exactly happened,” the former “X Factor” contestant answered. “Something switched, something flipped.”
In what would be Whitney’s last public appearance (at Kelly Price’s pre-Grammy party), Stacy first spoke to the “I Will Always Love You” singer that evening just moments after Whitney walked the carpet with daughter Bobbi Kristina.
Stacy said she became a “groupie immediately” upon meeting Whitney, and the superstar was “really friendly.”
“[Whitney] was so sweet and so funny and witty, and she said, ‘You know, you look familiar,’” Stacy recounted, adding that she reminded Whitney they had previously met during a concert in 1995.
“We had a great time,” Stacy added. “I mean, it was really amazing and I even showed her pictures of my daughter.”
After spending a few hours with Whitney, things took a sudden turn for the worse.
“I don’t know what [changed], I just know that when we had a further conversation, she didn’t understand who I was, or why I was standing in that area maybe?” Stacy told Shaun. “I don’t know. I couldn’t figure it out…
“What’s in the media [is] that she hit me in the face,” she continued. “She didn’t hit me in the face. What happened was I looked over at her [and] she moved my face away, but she didn’t push me. I think she was trying to have a conversation and she was like, ‘I don’t want you in my conversation.’ That’s when I was like, ‘I was just hanging out with you for like, two hours… what happened?’… She smiled and said, ‘OK, I owe you an apology.’”
“Whitney Houston apologized to you?” Shaun asked.
“Of course, and that’s why it’s upsetting to me to hear all the stories,” Stacy answered.
As for reports claiming Whitney’s sudden about-face with Stacy was due to jealousy over Whitney’s former beau Ray J, Stacy said the claims are fabricated.
“There was a report that Whitney ran over to you and Ray J and yelled, ‘This is is my man! I’m a cougar!’ Is that true?” asked Shaun.
“No, that’s not true. She did not do that. I mean, who would do that?” Stacy said. “That’s not true.”
What is true however, according to Stacy, is that the superstar was indeed considering a stint on “The X Factor.”
“Someone told her [I] was on ‘The X Factor’ and she said, ‘Oh girl — I was just offered a job on ‘The X Factor.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, are you serious? That would be amazing… are you gonna do it?’” Stacy told Shaun. “She said, ‘I’m considering it and I haven’t made up my mind yet. ‘”
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