Whitney Houston performed the song as part of a medley with "
I Loves You, Porgy" and "
I Have Nothing" at the 1994
American Music Awards of 1994. This performance is included on her posthumous 2014 CD/DVD release,
Live: Her Greatest Performances, and was re-enacted by
Naomi Ackie as Houston in the 2022 film
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Houston also performed the tune as part of the set list during
The Bodyguard World Tour in 1993. In an episode of
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will (
Will Smith) serenades Uncle Phil to the song by lip-syncing it when trying to win his forgiveness but only ends up annoying him. In an episode of
Martin, Gina (
Tisha Campbell) performs the song while interrupting Pam's performance of the song "Home" (from
The Wiz) on Martin's talk show "Word on the Street". As both are auditioning for
Biggie Smalls, they attempt to out-sing each other, ultimately resulting in embarrassing Martin. In 1998,
Jim Carrey flamboyantly performed a parody of the song in the final episode of
The Larry Sanders Show (entitled "Flip"), pleading to the titular Sanders to persuade him not to leave his late-night talk show. In the 2001 film
Down to Earth, the song is performed by several people at the
Apollo Theater, with the audience only approving when sung by Phil Quon (
John Cho). Various renditions appear in several episodes of the sitcom
Everybody Hates Chris, often sung by
Chris' mother Rochelle (
Tichina Arnold), or by off-screen performers watched by Rochelle. In 2006, then 11-year-old
Bianca Ryan auditioned with the song for ''
America's Got Talent''. Ryan subsequently won the contest that year.
Jake Gyllenhaal performed it on
Saturday Night Live shortly after the film's release in a pastiche of Hudson. He wore a wig and black sequined dress, with three of the female regulars on SNL as his "backup singers", dressed in red glitter dresses, heels and wigs. In 2009, it was performed by
Amber Riley as her character
Mercedes Jones in the
first season Glee episode "
Sectionals". Riley would go on to play Effie onstage in the 2016 London's
West End first production of
Dreamgirls, with a live cast recording of the show featuring the song being released in May 2017. Also in 2009, the
parody film Dance Flick features
David Alan Grier performing a version of the song telling the protagonists that they're "gonna feed [him]" with assorted foods and name brand items.
American Idol runner-up
Jessica Sanchez performed the song as one of her two songs in the Top 4. Her performance during the Top 4 was praised by Jennifer Holliday. Holliday later performed the song with Sanchez during the
eleventh season finale in 2012.
Dami Im, the 2013 winner of the Australian version of
The X Factor, performed this as one of her final three songs. Her performance received a rapturous response from all four judges and the audience. The judges stood up on the judges table as an indication of their overwhelming adulation of her exquisite performance while the audience applauded strongly for 70 seconds. Her performance debuted number 29 on the
Australian ARIA Charts. On December 1, 2013, Im released a version of the song as part of her
self-titled album, which debuted at number one in
Australia, and was certified Platinum. Also in 2013,
Sam Bailey performed it with
Nicole Scherzinger as her celebrity duet choice during the first part of the
tenth-season finale of
The X Factor in the UK. The duet also appeared on her 2014 debut album
The Power of Love. Also in 2013,
Jacquie Lee performed this song in
season 5 of
The Voice. Also in 2013, actor/singer
Tituss Burgess performed a rendition at the event "Broadway Backwards" for the charity
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. In 2015,
Louisa Johnson performed this song both in the six chair challenge and with
Rita Ora as her celebrity duet choice during the first part of the
twelfth-season finale of
The X Factor in the UK. In 2016,
Chi Chi DeVayne and
Thorgy Thor lipsynced to the song on the
eighth season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race.'' The performance, specifically from DeVayne, was viewed as the best lipsync of the season and one of the best in the franchise's history. In ''
Britain's Got Talent'' 2017, Sarah Ikumu sang this song as her audition. It won her the Golden Buzzer from
Simon Cowell, which got her an unchallenged pass into the live finals. In 2020,
Destiny Chukunyere performed it as her Big Band choice during the semifinals of the second season of
X Factor Malta. In 2025,
Cynthia Erivo sang a version of the song at the conclusion of the
78th Tony Awards, with lyrics altered to reference the awards. ==See also==