Matt Lauer, Bobby Brown (photo: NBC)Bobby Brown opens up for the first time about the death of his ex-wife Whitney Houston, their last meeting, being accused of her demise, and his relationship with Bobbi Kristina, his daughter with Houston, in a two-part interview to air on Today Wednesday and Thursday.
Houston was found dead on February 11 in the bathtub of her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The coroner attributed heart disease, cocaine use and accidental drowning as the cause of death.
Bobby Brown Reunites With Bobbi Kristina
Brown, 43, who was married to Houston for 15 years, told Matt Lauer that he is not responsible for Houston's death. "I'm not the reason she's gone," he said.
Brown said he finds hurtful accusations that he contributed to Houston's death.
"It makes me feel terrible," he said. "But you know, I know differently. I think if anyone ever knew us, if anybody ever spent time around us, instead of time lookin' through the bubble, they would know how we felt about each other. They would know how happy we were together."
Brown said he and Houston better understood some of their public scrutiny after watching their reality TV series "Being Bobby Brown."
"We looked at the bubble and saw ourselves," he said. "We was able to see what other people were saying about us, you know? We was able to see that our drug use had affected our relationship, had affected the love that we felt for each other."
Brown also responded to the rumors that he got Houston hooked on drugs.
"I didn't get high [on narcotics] before I met Whitney," he said. "I smoked weed, I drank the beer, but no, I wasn't the one that got Whitney on drugs at all." Brown said Houston began using drugs "way before" they became a couple.
"It's just … it's just unexplainable how one could, you know, [say that I] got her addicted to drugs. I'm not the reason she's gone," he said.
Brown said he thought Houston was doing fine when he saw her the week prior to her death. "[She] had this glow about her that was just, you know, incredible," he said. "I'm saying to myself, you know, 'She must be … she must be doing really well,' because she looked really well."
Brown said he was devastated when he learned that Houston died. "I was hurt," he said. "I was hurt … because, you know, me being off narcotics for the last seven years, I felt that she was, you know, I didn't know she was struggling with it still. But at the same time, you know, listen, it's a hard fight. It's a hard fight to, you know, maintain sobriety that way."
Brown doesn't believe Houston's death was triggered by long-term drug use. "It had to be that one, because that's all it takes," he said. "One hit, you know … it could definitely take your life away from you. And, unfortunately, that was it."
Lauer, Brown and family (photo: NBC)Lauer speaks to three of Brown's children and his fiancée during the second part of the interview which will air Thursday.
Brown's daughter La'Princia said her father gets a bad rap. "I honestly feel like my dad's a great person, she said. "He's been my best friend, like, my whole life. If I ever have a problem with anything, I know I can go to him. Likewise, if he ever needs to talk to somebody, he knows he can always call me and I'll be there for him."
Brown's son Landon said his father is different than his stage persona. "I feel like my father's always had the bad boy image," he said. "So, you know, they just keep followin' that. Anything that they can take a negative from the situation, they blow it out of proportion and blame him."
La'Princia agrees. "They don't see the good part of him that we see every single day," she said. "Everyone goes through their ups and downs. You can't be judged forever about one event in your life or just the bad decisions you've made, you can't always be judged just by that."