Kevin Costner Still Does This for Whitney Houston — and People Keep Mocking Him for It

Kevin Costner has never been shy about how much Whitney Houston meant to him. Decades after The Bodyguard, he still keeps her version of 'I Will Always Love You' as his ringtone. People tease him for it; he shrugs and calls it a badge of honor. It is both sweet and a little heartbreaking, because it is not just nostalgia. He sounds like someone who never fully moved on.

The bond that went beyond the movie

Back in the early 90s, The Bodyguard turned Costner and Houston into an event. Their on-screen spark helped turn the film into a cultural moment, and Houston's cover of 'I Will Always Love You' went nuclear, becoming the best-selling single of all time. Off-camera, Costner was a steadying hand for Houston as she tackled her first major film role. On the Armchair Expert podcast, he talked about reassuring her she would be good in it, using the song itself as an anchor for that confidence.

The promises and the letters

Years later, as Houston struggled with addiction, Costner told Anderson Cooper that he tried reaching out with handwritten letters. He is not sure if they ever made it into her hands. That detail says a lot: he kept trying to connect in a way that felt personal, even if he never knew whether the message landed.

How it all played out

• Early 90s: The Bodyguard hits. The Costner/Houston chemistry is obvious, and 'I Will Always Love You' becomes the best-selling single of all time.
• On set: Costner mentors Houston through her first big acting job and tells her she will be good in it.
• Later years: During her addiction battles, he writes letters to her; he does not know if she read them.
• 2012: Houston dies by accidental drowning, with heart disease and a stimulant in her system listed as contributing factors.
• Funeral: Costner delivers a 17-minute eulogy that lays bare how deep their connection ran.
• Now: He still uses 'I Will Always Love You' as his ringtone and says he is fine with people mocking him for it.

The guilt he still carries

Costner has said he feels like he failed her. The Bodyguard fantasy of always being there to protect her collided with real life, and he has been open about how much that haunts him.

'I let her down. I should have been there, and I wasn't. And now for the rest of my life, I will have to live with that pain. I saved her then; I should have saved her now. She was my one true love.'

Is that a grand, romantic statement? Maybe. Is it also someone speaking from a place of real grief? Definitely. The ringtone, the eulogies, the interviews where he still talks about her with that same softness — it all tracks.

Why this still hits hard

There is a real-world messiness to their story: the mentor/protector dynamic, fame, addiction, the gap between playing a hero and being one when the cameras are off. Costner is not rewriting history to make himself the savior; he is sitting in the regret. And for better or worse, that keeps Whitney right there with him.

What do you make of Costner still carrying a torch for Houston all these years later?

If you want to revisit where it all started, The Bodyguard is available to rent or buy on Amazon in the U.S.