"Waiting To Exhale" Cast Reunion

A Timeless Sisterhood: 'Waiting to Exhale' Cast Reunites for 30th Anniversary

​LOS ANGELES, CA — Thirty years after the iconic film Waiting to Exhale first captivated audiences, surviving cast members Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon reunited for a highly-anticipated news appearance, reflecting on the movie’s groundbreaking legacy and sharing emotional memories of their late co-star, Whitney Houston.

​The actresses sat down with Gayle King on CBS Mornings to celebrate the 1995 romantic drama, which hits its 30th anniversary on December 22nd. The film, adapted from Terry McMillan's novel and directed by Forest Whitaker, was celebrated for its authentic portrayal of Black female friendship, love, and resilience.

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​Honoring Whitney Houston

​A poignant part of the conversation was dedicated to the memory of Whitney Houston, who starred as Savannah Jackson and sadly passed away in 2012.

• ​Loretta Devine (Gloria Matthews) recalled Houston's joyful presence on set. "She loved doing it. We had so much fun," Devine noted. "She would laugh easy. She was always ready to laugh."

• ​Angela Bassett (Bernadine Harris) shared a touching anecdote from their first meeting. After telling Houston her voice sounded "as if God put his hands there, and all this glory comes out," Houston replied, "I feel the same way about your acting."

• ​Lela Rochon (Robin Stokes) praised Houston's solidarity with her co-stars, recalling a moment during the press run where Houston insisted, "We go as a group, or we don't go at all," ensuring the entire quartet was included.

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​A Lasting Legacy

The stars discussed the movie's enduring cultural impact, highlighting its role in changing the way Black women were represented on screen.

​"It makes Black women feel good about themselves," Devine said, emphasizing how the film demonstrated that women could "be and do just about anything you dream of."

​Bassett spoke about the sheer power of seeing their faces dominate the big screen. "Because it was our faces, our brown, brilliant, beautiful faces across the screen together. It broke through, it burst through. There was a very low ceiling; we burst through that," she shared.

​The reunion served as a beautiful testament to the film’s central theme: the powerful, sustaining love of sisterhood, a bond that clearly continues to thrive three decades later among the surviving cast.