Whitney Houston's Mom Cissy Breaks Her Silence Over Sexual Abuse Allegation

Whitney Houston‘s mother, Cissy Houston, and Cissy‘s niece Dionne Warwick are breaking their silence on the allegation of sexual abuse made in the new documentary Whitney.

The documentary debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, and made the allegation that Whitney was molested by her cousin, Dee Dee Warwick, when she was a child.

Whitney‘s brother Gary also made an allegation in the documentary that he was molested by Dee Dee, who died in 2008.

The Whitney documentary is now available to see in theaters now.

Click inside to read the joint statement made by Cissy Houston and Dionne Warwick…

“In the documentary, which premiered almost two months ago at the Cannes Film Festival, a claim is made that Whitney was molested by Dee Dee Warwick, her cousin and Dionne‘s sister.

My niece Dionne Warwick and I make this statement to raise our voices above the din surrounding the release of the film, Whitney. Although the film is marketed as a Houston Family approved/endorsed project, neither my son, Michael, Dionne nor I knew of the allegations of abuse, the direction the film would take, until two days before the screening at Cannes.

We cannot, however, overstate the shock and horror we feel and the difficulty we have believing that my niece Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne’s sister) molested two of my three children.

I’ve been told—as justification for the invasive theme of this film—that Whitney was a public person and therefore the public has a right to know any and everything about her. I say, NO, she was a famous person … a singer, an actress, a quiet but generous philanthropist. She wasn’t running for office, asking for money or trying to win the right to run anyone’s life. Her job does not entitle the “public” to know every intimate detail of her life beyond what she herself revealed during her lifetime. Although she spoke about her struggle with drugs, the interventions, her daughter Krissi and issues in her marriage, she never PUBLICLY spoke about her father’s stealing from her or revealed any claim that she had been molested. IF she was molested I do not believe she would have wanted it to be revealed for the first time to thousands, maybe millions of people in a film.

How I wish I could ask Dee Dee and Nippy what happened, but this film distinguishes itself from the other films about her by spreading rumor, innuendo and hearsay; leaving questions to which I’ll never have the answers.”

For the full statement, head over to People.