What is Cookie Johnson's Net Worth?
Cookie Johnson is an American author, clothing designer, AIDS activist, and advocate for LGBTQ rights who has a net worth of $150 million. Cookie Johnson is best known for being the wife of basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who discovered that he was afflicted with HIV while Cookie was pregnant with their first child. She now speaks passionately about the prevention and treatment of AIDS and the importance of gay rights.
Early Years
Earleatha "Cookie" Kelly was born in Huntsville, Alabama, on January 20, 1959, to Earl and Cora Kelly. She grew up with an older sister and a younger brother. Named after her father, her parents nicknamed her Kookie after Edd Byrnes's character Kenneth "Kookie" Smiley on the television show 77 Sunset Strip. She later changed the spelling to Cookie.
When she was six years old, she moved with her family to Detroit, Michigan, and she would later attend Michigan State University.
Meeting Magic
During a campus party at Michigan State University in 1978 – just before Christmas break – Cookie caught the attention of one of the college's best athletes, who simply stood aside and watched her dance. Just as the party broke up, the boy – Earvin Johnson Jr. – finally approached Cookie and asked if he could have her telephone number. The two spoke to each other on the telephone all through Christmas vacation and began dating when they returned to school.
Earvin and Cookie maintained an on-again, off-again relationship for over a decade, dating other people when they weren't dating each other. In 1981, during one of their periods apart, Earvin was dating a woman named Melissa Mitchell whom he got pregnant. Later that year, she gave birth to their son, Andre Johnson.
Back together with Cookie in 1991, Earvin finally proposed marriage. That September 14, they exchanged vows at a small wedding in his hometown of Lansing, Michigan. By that time, thirty-two-year-old Earvin, known professionally as "Magic," was a professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers, often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time. Two months after the wedding, during a physical examination prior to the 1991-1992 National Basketball Association season, he tested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
Later, publicly announcing that it was the most difficult thing he ever had to do, Earvin informed his pregnant wife of the HIV diagnosis and provided her with the option of leaving the marriage. She decided to stay. Stating publicly that he did not know how he acquired HIV, Earvin would later admit that he had engaged in sexual activity with numerous different partners over the course of his career. On November 7, 1991, he publicly announced that he would retire from professional basketball immediately.
Cookie and the unborn baby were tested for HIV and found to be unaffected. On June 4, 1992, Earvin J. Johnson III was born. In 1994, they adopted a daughter, Elisa.
AIDS Activist
Earvin "Magic" Johnson credits Cookie with saving his life through her unending support. She serves as a board member of the Magic Johnson Foundation which her husband founded the same year he discovered his diagnosis. The purpose of the foundation is to help raise awareness and educate people on the prevention and treatment of HIV.
Getty Images
CJ by Cookie Johnson
After struggling for years to find denim jeans that fit her body type properly, Cookie Johnson launched a line of jeans called CJ Denim in 2009.
Gay Rights Advocate
Cookie Johnson's son Earvin – also known as EJ – announced to her during his teenage years that he is gay. She would later state that accepting the information was very difficult for her as it went against her Christian beliefs. She has said that through much prayer, she eventually realized that love was love and nothing else mattered. Now openly gay, EJ Johnson is an actor and stars in the American television series "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills."
Following her son's announcement, Cookie became more aware of the struggles faced by those in the LGBTQ community and became an outspoken advocate for gay rights.
(Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)
Writing
In 2016, Cookie Johnson released her best-selling memoir "Believing in Magic," which details how she supported her husband following his diagnosis with HIV and how the battle shaped their marriage.
Personal Life
Cookie and Earvin "Magic" Johnson are known for their annual lavish yachting trips. Each year, they gather their famous friends and charter massive yachts containing elaborate suites, gyms, hair salons, massage rooms, full bars, and party decks and sail off to exotic destinations.
