“Love Always Costs”: Chad Johnson Gets Real About the Transactional Nature of Relationships

Chad Johnson is very realistic when it comes to his personal life. He recognizes that he’s had unconventional relationships with women, which have shaped his nuanced philosophies about money. Recently, he shared some wisdom about this outlook, professing that people should stay single for as long as they can.

In case you didn’t know, Johnson has eight children with seven different women. This has seemingly led him to view life through a different lens. Instead of seeing women and children as something he seeks out, he now sees them as a life expense.

“Everything in life is transactional. Everything. No matter how you try to slice it,” Johnson admitted in a video posted by Overtime on Instagram.

“Stay single. Why would you want to add an expense? That’s dumb. Love always costs. Always… Buy a dog [if you’re lonely],” he added.

They were hard-hitting facts coming from the former Cincinnati Bengals wideout. It sounds as though he’s learned the hard way how expensive having multiple children with multiple women can be.

 

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In reaction to the clip, fans unsurprisingly connected with Johnson’s sentiments. “He preaching the gospel,” one wrote. 

“Probably the best advice I’ve heard all my life,” another added. “My fav interview ever prob,” someone else stated.

Although one fan pointed out the hypocrisy in Johnson’s statement. “Dude has a girlfriend. He out here booed up and telling yall to ride solo,” they wrote with laughing emojis.

 

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Johnson does indeed have a new girlfriend after splitting with Sharelle Rosado in October of 2024. He went public with his new partner, Chan, in June of 2025. With this in mind, it is pretty funny to hear him tell others to stay single. 

All in all, it’s a humorous clip of Johnson that shows off his fun and playful personality. There are times when he gets realistic about life, but the funny part is that he doesn’t follow his own advice. Johnson has struggled to stay single ever since retiring from the NFL and continues to add expenses to his life with every child he has with new partners.