This article is about the American socialite. For the singer, see Elijah Johnson (singer). For the sportscaster, see Ernie Johnson Jr. For the soccer player, see EJ Johnson (soccer).
EJ Johnson
Johnson in 2014
Born
Earvin Johnson III

(1992-06-04) June 4, 1992 (age 31)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Television personality, socialite, fashion commentator
Parent(s)Magic Johnson (father)
Earlitha Kelly (mother)

Earvin Johnson III (born June 4, 1992) is an American television personality and socialite.

Early life

Earvin Johnson III was born on June 4, 1992, in Beverly Hills, California, to Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Earlitha "Cookie" Johnson (née Kelly).[1] He has an older brother, Andre, and a younger sister, Elisa. He was raised in the Pentecostal Christian faith.[2] Johnson attended New York University, studying hospitality with a focus on event planning and design.[3] Johnson is gay and announced it to his family at the age of 17 and announced publicly in 2013 after a report by TMZ published pictures of him holding hands with a male friend. He was supported by his family in his decision to come out publicly.[4][5][6][7][8] After his decision, Johnson left the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, the church in which he grew up, due to their views on homosexuality.[9]

Career

Johnson joined the cast of the E! reality television series Rich Kids of Beverly Hills in 2014 as a recurring cast member on the first season.[10] He became a main cast member for the next three seasons.[11] The show was canceled after four seasons. Johnson then starred in his own spin-off reality series EJNYC, one of the first reality series to profile a young LGBTQ person of color.[12][9] In 2014, Johnson joined E! News as a news personality and commentator, covering shows for New York Fashion Week as well as having a recurring commentary role on Fashion Police.[13] He also appeared as a guest commentator on Hello Ross in 2014. He was a guest star during season 4 of Real Husbands of Hollywood.[14]

In 2016 Johnson was featured in an It Got Better short documentary produced by L/Studio.[15] In 2017, Johnson moderated a panel at BeautyCon called The Gender Revolution.[9] In 2017 Johnson was a guest host on The Real.[16] In an ESPN interview with Kelley L. Carter, Johnson discussed his television experiences and plans to pursue a career in fashion.[17] On May 12, 2021, it was announced that Johnson would voice the character of Michael Collins in the reboot of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, a role played in the original series by Phil LaMarr.[18]

Personal life

In 2015, Johnson underwent gastric sleeve surgery.[19][20] Johnson has been noted for his feminine and androgynous fashion style.[21][22][23] He revealed that after Caitlyn Jenner's coming out as transgender, he thought about transitioning, but decided against it.[9]

Johnson is close friends with Gaïa Jacquet-Matisse, Kyra Kennedy, Reya Benitez, Ezra J. William, Andrew Warren, and Tiffany Trump. The group has been nicknamed the "Rich Kids of Instagram" by the New York Post and the "Snap Pack" by The New York Times and New York Magazine.[24][25][26]

References

  1. ^ "ESPN.com - E-ticket: Passing on the Magic". November 25, 2005. Archived from the original on November 25, 2005.
  2. ^ Schulman, Michael (September 2, 2017). "Johnson Is 'Not Just Some Other Rich Girl'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ^ "Earvin Johnson III, Magic Johnson's Gay Son, Goes Public With Boyfriend, Parents Very Proud (VIDEO)". April 2, 2013 – via Huff Post.
  4. ^ "Magic Johnson discusses son EJ's coming out on 'Ellen Show'". New York Daily News. April 20, 2017.
  5. ^ Staff, AOL (May 2017). "Magic Johnson reveals he gets fashion advice from his 'fabulous' son EJ".
  6. ^ "Magic Johnson's Advice to Parents of Gay Children: 'If You Don't Support Them, Who's Going To?'". People.
  7. ^ "Magic Johnson Opens Up About EJ Johnson Coming Out as Gay". BET.
  8. ^ Wendy Williams (February 10, 2014). "The Fabulous EJ Johnson" – via YouTube.
  9. ^ a b c d Schulman, Michael (September 2, 2017). "EJ Johnson Is 'Not Just Some Other Rich Girl'". The New York Times.
  10. ^ "Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills". E! Online.
  11. ^ "EJ Johnson Lands New Spinoff Series as E! Launches 'EJ and the City'". April 1, 2016.
  12. ^ "EJNYC". E! Online.
  13. ^ Hod, Itay (June 12, 2014). "The Fabulous Life of EJ Johnson, the Stylish Son of the Lakers Legend". The Daily Beast – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  14. ^ Gerdes, Caroline (May 8, 2016). "EJ Johnson's Net Worth Shows The 'Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills' Star Lives Up To The Show's Name".
  15. ^ lstudiopresents (May 24, 2016). "It Got Better Featuring EJ Johnson - L/Studio Created by Lexus" – via YouTube.
  16. ^ "Guest Co-Host EJ Johnson, CeCe Winans".
  17. ^ "EJ Johnson building his own legacy - ESPN Video".
  18. ^ Yang, Rachel (May 12, 2021). "See first look at Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter's new characters in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  19. ^ "EJ Johnson Lost 50 Pounds With Surgery". October 2, 2014.
  20. ^ Wendy Williams (May 5, 2015). "EJ Johnson on Fashion, Dating & Weight Loss" – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "EJ's Guide to Summer Dressing For the Fashion Fluid". July 19, 2016.
  22. ^ "You BET-ter Work! from EJ Johnson's Fiercest Fashions". E! Online.
  23. ^ "#RichKids of Beverly Hills Star EJ Johnson Talks East Coast Spin-off". June 22, 2016.
  24. ^ "The "Snap Pack": Tiffany Trump and her super-swanky friends". CBS News. March 31, 2017.
  25. ^ Rosman, Katherine (April 6, 2016). "Move Over, Rat Pack and Brat Pack: Here Comes the Snap Pack". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  26. ^ Jones, Allie (April 6, 2016). "Rich NYC Party Kids Just Trying to Inspire Others". New York. New York Media. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.

External links