EJ Johnson opened up about the initial difficulties he faced after coming out to his father, Magic Johnson.
When it comes to basketball legends, Magic is considered one of the most legendary players in sports history.
Alongside his monumental career, the 62-year-old has consistently supported the LGBTQ+ community as well as his son EJ – who openly identifies as gay.
However, the road to acceptance and support wasn’t always smooth for EJ and Magic.
In a recent interview with Variety, the two public figures opened up about their brief rough patch after EJ’s coming out.
“I was out to all my friends. [My parents] were the last people that I really had to talk to about it,” the 29-year-old explained.
“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.”
In 2010, at the age of 17, the former Rich Kids of Beverly Hills star came out to Magic and his mother, Cookie Johnson.
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EJ went on to say that before he headed to New York for college, he and his dad fought over wearing linen scarves – which he described as “very European” at the time.
“That was the look. And of course, I was rocking the scarves because it was hot. And he just couldn’t stand it,” he said.
“He’d come up with stupid rules: ‘No scarves in the house.’ But it’s really not about scarves; it’s really about him seeing you be you.”
But the prickly interaction between the father and son duo ended after Magic visited EJ at NYU.
“I had only been gone for two months. 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,” he revealed.
Since that fateful day, Magic has publicly given his support and love for E.J. on numerous occasions.
“I love EJ so much. That’s my main man,” he told TMZ in 2013 after the reality star publicly came out.
“This is a good moment for us as a family and a greater moment for him. Now he’s just the bubbly kid we knew again… I’m behind him a million percent this is really wonderful for him.”
In 2017, Magic echoed similar sentiments during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres.
“You’ve got to support your child,” he continued. “There’s so many people who try to discriminate against them. So if you don’t support them, who’s going to support them and love them?” he said.
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