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Coming out to family members can be challenging, especially if they aren’t supportive. Magic Johnson’s son, EJ Johnson, echoed a similar sentiment this week during a candid interview with Variety.
The former reality TV star recalled the moment he came out as gay to his father, noting how it was easier to come out to his friends in comparison to his parents.
“I was out to all my friends. [My parents] were the last people that I really had to talk to about it, EJ explained.“It wasn’t new for me, but they had to really take that in and digest it.”
The former basketball star shares 29-year-old EJ with his wife Cookie Johnson. While his mother appeared to be accepting of the fact, The Rich Kids of Beverly Hills star said that his father had a hard time coping with the truth.
“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,” EJ continued. “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.”
Johnson was also present during the interview and he claimed that he knew EJ was different from an early age.
“When you grow up in team sports, you’re thinking, ‘Is he gonna play sports?”, the Los Angeles Lakers alum reflected. “And then when I saw that he liked dolls and to play dress-up … ‘What are you doing?’”
After coming out, EJ said his father began placing “stupid rules” about what he could wear both inside and outside of the house, including one rule where he was prohibited from wearing scarves.
“But it’s really not about scarves; it’s really about him seeing you be you,” EJ noted of his father’s behavior.
The duo’s relationship was strained for months until EJ left for college at 17.
“I had only been gone for two months,” the E! TV personality recalled of the moment his father finally embraced him. “He picked me up at my dorm and I was like, ‘Oh, whatever, hey.’ And he hugged me so hard — he was, like, squeezing all the air out of me. That’s when I knew, there’s nothing but love here.”
Johnson said it was his son’s confidence and individuality that inspired him to mend their relationship.
“A lot of people don’t love that I love my son. He changed me,” said the athlete. “He was so proud. This dude here is just so proud of who he is.”
The former NBA star previously told the New York Times in 2020, that he was worried about EJ given his HIV-positive status. Johnson, 62, has been living with the condition since 1991. The concerned father said that he feared EJ would be stigmatized because gay men are often associated with the virus.
