Awkward! Did Whitney Houston's Family and Ray J Clash at Billboard Music Awards?

Was there really an uncomfortable encounter at the Las Vegas ceremony? Hear what the late pop star's family had to say

By Alyssa Toomey May 21, 2012 3:40 PMTags
E! Placeholder Image

Well, this is certainly news we didn't expect.

Our hearts were touched when Bobbi Kristina accepted the Millennium Award at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards on behalf of her mother, Whitney Houston, who passed away just three short months ago.

"Thank you so much for showing that much love. Because she deserved it...There will never be another one, ever," Bobbi Kristina said as she honored her mother's musical success.

But behind the scenes of the touching tribute, a whole lot of drama reportedly went down...but what's the real deal?

The situation seemingly got sticky when Whitney Houston's family and Ray J—who was rumored to be the late diva's boyfriend before her death—were seated in the same area at the award show.

Houston's family was less than pleased with the seating arrangement and, a source confirmed to E! News, even tried to have Ray J arrested.

According to the insider, cops did indeed arrive at the scene, but no arrests were made. Ray J had no comment on the matter.

However, a rep for the Houston family denies the account of the evening, saying that any claims that they tried to get the singer cuffed are "completely untrue."

"They were there to honor Whitney—that was the only focus they had for the evening. Ray J wasn't even a thought. Billboard Awards did all the seating and the Houstons never had any issues of any kind."

Another source added that Ray J was asked to move, but by the Billboard team, not the Houston family, and only because he was in the wrong seat.

Another source tells E! News that the Houston family was "100 percent" behind trying to get Ray J ousted, with Pat Houston particularly adamant, but that the family's security team stopped it.

In any case, this wouldn't have been the first time Ray has had to defend himself in the aftermath of Houston's death. He recently slammed Bobby Brown's sister after she told Dr. Drew Pinsky that Ray J may have provided the late diva with drugs that contributed to her death.

Despite the hard feelings, there's no denying Ray J cared deeply for the diva. "The world lost an icon but I lost a close friend," Ray J said when he learned of Houston's passing. "Nippy, I miss you so much! You were so happy and full of love. Your smile will live in my heart forever."