EXCLUSIVE

Whitney Houston is a 5'9" German dude ... at least, if you believe Piers Morgan.

Allow us to explain -- Morgan was talking to LL Cool J about Whitney's life during the July 6th episode of his CNN show and aired some generic footage of the singer to accompany the interview.

Problem is, the woman in the footage isn't Whitney ... and isn't even a woman -- it's a celebrity drag queen named Ikenna Beney Amaechi.



We spoke with Ikenna ... a charming fellow from Berlin ... who tells us, "I was just sitting at home and at first I didn’t realize it, but then it hit me like BOOM! It wasn’t Whitney … It was me!”

Ikenna tells us he's been "playing" Whitney for 21 years (video below) and the picture used by CNN is from the 2008 Reel Awards Show in Las Vegas -- an event dedicated to celebrity impersonators.

Ikenna adds, “I feel very honored that I was mistaken for the real Whitney Houston on CNN … is there EVEN a bigger compliment for a tribute artist?!"