Key Takeaways
- Magic Johnson celebrated 35 years of marriage to Earlitha “Cookie” Johnson, calling her his “partner in every real sense” through championships, his HIV diagnosis, business success, and family life.
- The couple met at Michigan State in 1977 and married in September 1991, weeks before Magic learned he was HIV-positive and publicly retired from the NBA.
- Magic and Cookie built a family that includes EJ and Elisa Johnson, and EJ recently said their parents responded supportively when they explained how they wanted their identity addressed.
Magic Johnson has spent much of his life collecting milestones, but his latest has nothing to do with basketball. The Lakers legend celebrated his 35th wedding anniversary with his wife, Earleatha “Cookie” Johnson, with a heartfelt tribute to the woman who has been beside him through championships, an HIV diagnosis, business success, and the evolution of their family.
“Happy 35th anniversary to my forever love, Cookie,” Magic wrote on Instagram. “35 years of you choosing me, building with me, and holding this family together with a grace I’ll never take for granted.”
Magic made a point of acknowledging that their marriage has included considerably more than the moments the public saw.
“You’ve been my partner in every real sense of the word…through the years that made the highlight reels and the ones that didn’t,” he continued.
Magic and Cookie married in September 1991 after a relationship stretching back to their freshman year at Michigan State University in 1977. Just weeks after their wedding, Magic learned he was HIV-positive.
He publicly revealed his diagnosis and announced his retirement from the NBA that November, instantly turning an intensely personal crisis into one of the biggest sports stories in the world.
Cookie stayed by his side through it all.
More than three decades later, Magic is making clear that he hasn't forgotten it. Quoting Proverbs 31:29 — “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all” — he told Cookie, “That’s you, in every season, my love. I love you more today than the day I put your ring on your finger.”
Their story began long before either could have imagined where it would lead. Cookie has recalled that Magic was already attracting plenty of attention from women at Michigan State, while Magic has said Cookie caught his attention at a college party after he spotted her dancing. Their relationship would be on-and-off before the pair eventually made it down the aisle.
The family they built has since grown alongside Magic's post-NBA empire. Magic and Cookie share EJ Johnson and Elisa Johnson, whom they adopted shortly after her birth. Magic's oldest son, Andre, is from his previous relationship with Melissa Mitchell, and Andre has since made Magic and Cookie grandparents.
That family has also changed in ways that required Magic and Cookie to change with it.
During a March appearance on Carlos King's Reality with the King podcast, EJ opened up about a conversation with their parents concerning how they wanted to be addressed. EJ said they told Magic and Cookie, “We’re not doing he, we’re not doing man, we’re not doing gay.”
For EJ, it wasn't a request for permission.
“I’m not looking for acceptance. I’m not looking for your validation,” EJ explained. “I am telling you what’s going down.”
EJ said the conversation was surprisingly easy, and their parents said they would do their best to understand.
That ease came after a much longer journey. EJ has spoken openly about growing up under the expectations attached to Magic's name and navigating parents whose traditional beliefs didn't always align with how EJ understood themself.
