Magic Johnson's gay son EJ Johnson says he only dates 'straight' men and admits to secret celebrity hookups

The nepo baby son of NBA legend Magic Johnson has opened up about his surprising dating preferences.

EJ Johnson, 33, told producer and host Carlos King this week that he doesn't date other gay men – despite being gay himself.

Johnson, who is known for his feminine fashion choices but does not identify as transgender, told King that he often competes with women for the affection of 'straight' men.

'I don't attract gay men and I’m not attracted to gay men,' Johnson said on the Reality with The King podcast.

'I don't go to gay clubs and I don't go to gay things because the men that I attract are not there,' the former reality star continued.  

'These are not the men that are interested in me in that capacity,' added Johnson, who said that he gets attention from men inside traditionally 'straight' spaces instead. 

'It's always been that way, but now it's even more so – now that I definitely present in more of a feminine way,' Johnson explained. 

While Johnson has remained coy on his love life, he did confirm that he's 'hooked up' with 'one or two' celebrities in secret.  

Johnson first shot to fame on the E! reality series Rich Kids of Beverly Hills in 2013.

He came out as gay around the same time and has said that he has no plans to medically transition into a woman. 

Johnson has always been known for his gender-fluid fashion, although his style tends to lean more to the feminine side than the masculine. 

He has stated that he identifies by all pronouns, although he told King that he has now started phasing out certain masculine identifiers.

While Magic Johnson has generally always accepted his son, the NBA legend has admitted that he initially had trouble coming to terms with EJ's sexuality. 

'When you grow up in team sports, you’re thinking, "Is he gonna play sports?" And then when I saw that he liked dolls and to play dress-up ... "What are you doing?",' he told Variety in 2022. 

EJ said that his parents were the 'last people' he told about his sexuality, and that Magic initially found the news difficult.

'They had to really take that in and digest it. Especially my dad, because he was really the last person to talk to,' EJ said.

'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. But he’s not somebody who works great being cornered or surprised.'

After EJ moved to New York for college, his father visited him a few months later and they made amends. 

'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,' EJ recalled. 

Magic now proudly walks red carpets with his son and has repeatedly expressed his support for the LGBTQ community.

'I'm really proud of him because he's getting so involved and letting his voice help other people too,' Magic told People in 2023.

'He's saving a lot of people's lives and people don't even know, and I'm so proud of him.'

Since finding fame on reality television, Johnson has gone on to work as a voice actor in the Disney+ series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.