Whitney Houston Agreed to ‘Glee’ Guest Starring Role: Why Didn’t it Happen?

When Fox’s musical drama Glee premiered in 2009, it was an instant hit, telling the story of a group of high school kids who used their shared love of music and dance to cope with the endless tribulations of being a teenager. 

Glee featured appearances by several A-list celebrities throughout its run on Fox, including Neil Patrick Harris, Gwyneth Paltrow, Britney Spears, Kate Hudson, Kristin Chenoweth, and Idina Menzel, amongst others. As it turns out, Whitney Houston was also scheduled to appear on the show at one point.

Whitney Houston almost played a character on ‘Glee’

Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz, two stars of the hugely popular TV show Glee, started a podcast called And That’s What You Really Missed, where they talk about all the behind-the-scenes information that they know Gleeks are looking for. In a recent episode of the podcast, the two actors shared a talk they had with Glee’s creator Ryan Murphy.

As Murphy disclosed, Houston had agreed to play the role of Grace Hitchens, a choir director at an institution for female juvenile offenders, back in 2009. Murphy claims he informed Houston over the phone that she would be perfect for the role of a teacher, and that Houston enthusiastically responded, “I agree.”

The Glee creator said that Houston liked the show because when she was younger, she sang in a choir. “She just loved that it was about kids in choir, and she was like, ‘This is phenomenal. Like, that you’re doing a show about a show choir,'” he said.

Murphy went on to say that Jennifer Lopez, Anne Hathaway, and Javier Bardem were amongst the other famous people that wanted to be on the show but ultimately couldn’t. Now that he has the benefit of hindsight, Murphy also wishes they had made episodes based on Beyoncé and Taylor Swift (the latter of which he refers to as “the one that got away”).

The role of Grace Hitchens ended up going to Eve

Clearly, Houston didn’t end up guest-starring on Glee. Ryan explained it by saying, “I don’t think she was in the right place and time to do it, is all I’ll say.” The role ended up going to Eve. 

In an interview with Digital Spy, Eve said she could not refuse the role because she was a big fan of Glee. “I got asked, and I’d heard the buzz about the show. When the first pilot episode came out, I figured it was something different and something we haven’t seen on TV before. I didn’t want to turn it down!” she said.

In the end, Eve portrayed the part of Grace Hitchens, director of the show choir at Jane Addams Academy, for two episodes in 2009.

What was happening in Whitney Houston’s life at the time she was supposed to appear on ‘Glee’?

Unfortunately, Houston passed away in 2012, only a few years after her expected appearance on Glee. The years leading up to her death saw a decline in the singer’s once-great fame and a diminishing level of respect. Houston’s public appearances became more erratic than elegant as she battled under the combined effects of a problematic marriage, drug addiction, the rigors of stardom, and the media’s intense scrutiny.

In 2009, Houston admitted to Oprah Winfrey that her drug use had worsened following her marriage to Bobby Brown and the success of the 1992 film The Bodyguard. “After The Bodyguard, it started getting heavy—cocaine and marijuana,” she said.

Houston’s death at age 48 left a huge void and was a sad end to a life that had seen unimaginable highs and shocking lows.