EJ Johnson, the son of basketball legend Magic Johnson and his wife Cookie has been open about his gender identity and s**ual orientation since 2013. His parents have been unwavering in their support for EJ. They have embraced him wholeheartedly and championed his journey of self-discovery.
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Their loving relationship exemplifies acceptance and parental love. That being said, they weren’t always so accepting. Back in the day, both Magic and Cookie tried to raise their son to follow traditional norms. But, it was not until she saw him playing with his sister’s dolls that Cookie knew she had to do things differently.
Cookie Johnson stopped forcing her son EJ Johnson to play sports after seeing his obsession with dolls
In 2017, EJ Johnson sat down with his mother, Cookie for a one-on-one interview with The Insider. They talked about a variety of topics, including Magic Johnson’s HIV-positive diagnosis and other revealing topics discussed in her memoir, Believing in Magic.
One of the topics they discussed was EJ’s s**uality. Magic Johnson’s eldest child with Cookie came out in 2013, embracing his s**ual orientation. He received resounding support from his parents, but it did take them some time to come to terms with it.
In fact, in the interview Cookie recalled the first time she realized her son was different. And, that she needed to stop trying to force her son into the world of sports. The defining moment was when she saw EJ enjoying himself, playing with his sister’s doll collection.
“Well you know in the beginning I thought, ‘Oh well, maybe it’s just a phase he’s going through!’ But then one day it just hit me when I saw you playing with your sister’s dolls. And, you were so happy, ‘Why should I make him do something that he doesn’t really like to do?’ So that’s when I stopped trying to throw you in sports and let you play with your dolls at home.”
Of course, Magic wasn’t aware of this detail, as Cookie did a good job hiding it. But, years later, the Hall of Famer would find out after his son came out to them. An experience that was difficult but relieving for EJ.
Magic Johnson and Cookie were the last two people EJ came out to
Coming out about his s**uality was a very tough decision for EJ Johnson. After all, it is a delicate situation, one that takes a lot of courage and strength. So, when it was time to tell the world, he decided that the last two people he would tell would be his parents. And, for the most part, they took it well.
However, it was a lot to digest for both Magic Johnson and Cookie, especially for Magic who went back and forth with his son about it.
“It wasn’t new for me, but they had to really take that in and digest it. Especially my dad, because he was really the last person to talk to. I think it was just a lot for him to swallow in that conversation. A lot of just going back and forth. And he just was rattling off about things that weren’t particularly nice. But he’s not somebody who works great being cornered or surprised.”
It did take a while, but Magic learned to understand his son better. And now, he takes every opportunity he can to use his platform to applaud his son’s incredible journey.
