Whitney Houston Was Almost Sondra on 'The Cosby Show' [VIDEO]

Houston Could Have Been the Eldest Huxtable Kid, But She Turned the Role Down to Pursue Her Singing Career

It's tough to argue with her decision in hindsight -- think of all the great music we might have missed out on -- but it's also fun to imagine what might have been if Whitney Houston had accepted a role she was offered early in her career: that of Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

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The role of Cliff and Claire's eldest daughter, the one so fond of arguing with her doofus, if well-meaning eventual hubby Elvin, was played by Sabrina La Beauf, but Cosby Show director Jay Sandrich confirms that the role was originally offered to a then barely out of her teens Houston.

"So we gather in this room and there are kids from New York and Los Angeles and they are all signing their contracts, and this girl who we brought from New York said, 'I can't sign this contract,'" Sandrich recalled in an interview at EmmyTVLegends.org.

"And I said 'Why?' She said, 'Well, I want to be a singer … I can't be in every show … I have to be in every tour."

Sandrich went on to try to convince her that, without a record deal yet, and without touring experience, being on the TV show could actually help her music career, but Houston remained committed to her future as a musician.

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Still, isn't it fun to wonder if Sondra might have been a bit less -- okay, we'll say it, annoying -- if Whitney had played her?

Check out this video clip from the memorable Cosby ep "Cliff in Love," in which we meet Elvin and in which Sondra is at her, well, most irritating: