Up next in 10
Join us on Sway's Universe for a monumental reveal as Beverly Johnson, the iconic face that redefined fashion norms, shares her secret marriage shocker! 💍 Dive into this exclusive interview where Beverly reflects on her trailblazing journey from Vogue's cover to becoming a vocal activist, an accomplished actress, and a successful businesswoman.
In this candid conversation on Sway In The Morning, Beverly opens up about the joys of grandparenting and the unexpected turns her life has taken. From her impactful legacy post-Civil Rights Movement to her thrilling new play 'Beverly Johnson in Vogue,' we cover it all. Hear about her private wedding in Vegas, her relationship dynamics, and the profound influence of love later in life.
Uncover the candid gems she drops about family, career, and maintaining her timeless radiance. This is not just a trip down memory lane; it's an inspiring session full of laughter, wisdom, and heartfelt moments that you cannot miss!
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Introduction
1:33 - Beverly Johnson Grandchildren & Play
6:34 - Beverly Johnson Vegas Wedding
13:05 - Beverly Johnson's Marriage Perspectives
16:25 - Beverly Johnson Vogue Feature
20:48 - Closing Remarks
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0:00
years
0:00
[Applause]
0:01
ago that this amazing
0:04
spirited woman came on our show and
0:07
talked about her life have the be I said
0:09
I swear man we were reading the book I
0:11
read her book to face that changed it
0:13
all learned so so much about her we took
0:16
pleasure in the moments that we had with
0:17
her to talk to her about all that she
0:19
had endured but one of the things that
0:21
stuck out is in
0:24
1974 when she graced the cover of
0:27
American Vogue magazine it changed
0:30
history for so many reasons she became
0:33
representation on a global front U for
0:36
people of color she existed in spaces
0:38
that we weren't familiar with um she
0:41
probably endured the pitfalls that a lot
0:43
of people do not have to endure because
0:45
of it she opened a lot of doors at that
0:47
time it was on the back end of the Civil
0:49
Rights Movement uh so she spoke out um
0:52
uh for Injustice uh she became a
0:54
spokesperson she became an actress she
0:57
became a a businesswoman she became
1:00
uh one of the most influential
1:02
African-Americans in America uh
1:04
according to uh the National Portrait
1:06
Gallery in Washington DC her portrait
1:09
was hanging up there as well I want to
1:11
welcome her back to the show citizens
1:13
she has her new show Beverly Johnson in
1:15
Vogue is a play um opening night was
1:18
January 14th right yes it is January
1:22
14th but she did something last night
1:24
and she's here to talk to us again give
1:26
it up for the one and only the legendary
1:28
the iconic one Beverly Johnson is here
1:33
Beverly Johnson my God Beverly Johnson
1:36
my goodness how many how many years ago
1:39
how many years ago was she on the show
1:41
about eight eight about eight years ago
1:45
eight years ago seem sooner was I was
1:47
like 20 something years ago it was 24
1:49
then 24 years yes 24 I don't know how
1:52
that go back I was 23 we know how we
1:55
were there you look amazing in 8 years
1:58
thank you you look amazing you're aging
2:00
backwards thank you so much what what is
2:03
what would you contribute to be the key
2:05
to your success in terms of your health
2:07
your wellness and how great you look I I
2:10
I really believe at this point in my
2:13
life it's my grandchildren a they're a
2:16
gang okay there's six of them and the
2:18
noise decimal in the house is like you
2:21
got to wear ear until you get used to
2:23
you got to come in there with earphones
2:24
on okay cuz they are so loud and they
2:27
are so needy and they are so bad
2:30
and I love every minute of I call I
2:34
called them bab kids and I said stop but
2:37
we couldn't even get a s for them they
2:38
were just and only one girl so there was
2:40
guy you know the boys and they're
2:42
fighting and this and that and the thing
2:44
they call me softer CU I'm soft and I'm
2:46
tough and so and they also know uh
2:50
softer seing red sof seeing red cuz when
2:53
I see red okay it's over you know it's
2:55
over so you know it's just really fun
2:58
and just it's just un unlimited Love
3:00
Unlimited love I I can't imagine Beverly
3:03
like Beverly Johnson like you don't you
3:05
don't give whipping or nothing do you
3:06
what kind of punishment you I don't do
3:08
anything in
3:12
public that's my new
3:16
answer they know better now they know
3:19
better they know better they know better
3:20
but they need it you know they're kids
3:22
and they're spirited and you want to you
3:24
want to keep the spirit you don't want
3:25
to break anybody's Spirit Break the
3:26
spirit but my name is softer and you
3:28
have to to this line with me yeah okay
3:31
at all times but my boyfriend my husband
3:36
my my
3:37
fiance he's the one that scares the crap
3:40
out of them because he takes them to
3:41
boot camp and boot camp is all education
3:45
and you should see them help me stuff I
3:46
said no don't he takes them to this
3:49
really educational boot camp which is in
3:51
our home uhuh and I tell you it really
3:54
works two weeks of that my daughter is
3:57
saying you want to go back to Uncle bran
3:59
you want to go to Papa Ryan's house you
4:01
want to go to Papa Ryan's house because
4:02
you will go to Pap okay all right all
4:04
right I'll do it I'll do it so you know
4:06
you just really need those guard rails
4:09
for and it's the best time of my life
4:11
it's so interesting that people used to
4:14
say um you know when you have
4:16
grandchildren I said excuse me I'm not
4:19
having any grandchildren I better not be
4:21
having any grandchildren and then I
4:24
really understand what they meant yeah
4:26
it's this kind of of a rebirth for me
4:31
and I remember my grandmother was very
4:33
important in my life and I said to
4:35
myself I want to be that grandmother to
4:38
my grandchild and I'm there a lot and
4:41
I'm there a lot to relieve an an and you
4:44
she's getting married to Matt Barnes
4:46
they got their new TV show Barnes bunch
4:49
I said yeah Bunch gang but
4:52
anyways I love Matt
4:55
bares I mean it's lit in that house okay
4:57
in more ways than one but
5:00
do you partake in all the like partake
5:02
in that because I want I want him I want
5:04
anansa and Matt to have some time
5:07
together you know so I'm there like you
5:09
know weeks sometimes when they go off
5:11
and they do whatever I said just don't
5:12
come back with another baby that's all I
5:14
say you know
5:16
what what a request but anyway so life
5:19
is life is wonderful and and this play
5:21
that I'm doing uh is um it's just really
5:25
beautiful it's and we did it last night
5:28
actually opening night that's just for
5:30
you but the play is going on now so
5:32
everybody can come down to 59 East 59th
5:35
Street for the play and it's a one
5:37
person play it's just me it's just me
5:40
and it's me and it it's a show uhuh very
5:42
talented director that's working with me
5:45
on that show he did Carrie Fisher's
5:47
Wishful drinking he did Dick Van dijk's
5:49
what is he's like a one woman print man
5:52
uh genius so it's really entertaining
5:55
it's not like I was born and I no no
5:58
it's not that you're going to be
5:59
laughing and you're going to be crying
6:01
and I mean it's really and it was
6:03
wonderful to hear the response of the
6:05
audience you know they when you know
6:07
when they burst out laughing I'll be
6:08
like yeah yeah I got even more so I say
6:11
and then what
6:13
happened but it got the just amazing
6:16
feedback and so it's it's really nice
6:18
for me at this point in my life to be
6:21
able to you know Reach Out And Touch
6:22
Somebody you know cuz you know we're the
6:24
page we're that flat you know
6:26
onedimensional
6:27
person and so now I have a chance to
6:29
really connect and it and it's really
6:32
kind of you know filling my soul I love
6:34
it Beverly Johnson it's kind of like a
6:35
rebirth of his own right yeah I like
6:38
that I like that um thank you again for
6:40
being here today we're so blessed by
6:42
your presence we were having a
6:43
conversation earlier when Tracy was
6:45
doing celebrity news and I thought about
6:47
it when you mentioned about being a
6:49
grandmother um one of the celebrities
6:51
have been in therapy with her daughter
6:53
for quite some time because there were a
6:55
lot of bickering and arguing in the home
6:58
and I was saying to sway cuz we're from
6:59
the same generation we didn't have that
7:01
opportunity growing up it was whatever
7:03
your mother said or the parents said you
7:05
did it no therapy do it cuz I'm the
7:08
mother or the father and that was it
7:10
shut up because I said so so and and if
7:12
you talked about running away they would
7:14
open the door for you get out exactly so
7:18
um and I said sway do you think we
7:19
turned out okay cuz we didn't have this
7:21
option of therapy with parents what is
7:23
your take on that because you seem like
7:26
the cool mom or the cool grandmother if
7:28
if that makes
7:29
yes well you know I did Beverly's Full
7:31
House with the open Winfrey Network you
7:33
know we saved the network actually it
7:35
was about mother and daughter's Dynamics
7:38
I love that y'all saved the Oprah
7:39
Winfrey Network just not let that go
7:42
by well we did but it was very painful
7:46
because you know kids have their own
7:48
little story madeup story in their mind
7:50
of how things went and whatever and so
7:52
we really got down I mean I would never
7:55
do that again but it changed the
7:57
Dynamics of our relationship
8:00
and and now that I'm a grandmother and
8:02
she has a daughter Ava i' be like get
8:04
her
8:06
AA get
8:08
her get her get her back for what she so
8:12
so you know NIS is you know really like
8:14
anyways a is doing something they have
8:16
these bean bags because everything is
8:18
for kids and she said something my
8:20
daughter now this is Miss she don't do
8:23
anything she's Miss proper NBA all these
8:26
degrees anyways I saw her fly flying
8:29
across the room I'm looking she jumps on
8:33
top of AA and aa's looking at me can you
8:35
get her off of me and she says AA you're
8:38
going to listen to me I said about time
8:40
sister
8:41
girl about time
8:44
sister now you know now you know now you
8:47
know now you wow it was really great I'm
8:50
the subject of family Beverly and I'm
8:52
thoroughly enjoying your presence with
8:54
us right now very very grateful to have
8:56
it um I could have help my ears perked
8:58
up when you had brought up your partner
9:00
and you mentioned him as a boyfriend
9:02
fiance and a
9:05
husband he's everything and I was like
9:08
is this it's a secret it's a secret it's
9:11
a secret well no it's not it's not a
9:14
secret any longer I tell y'all cuz y'all
9:16
s family we family well I can't tell
9:19
Will he get mad no he won't he can't get
9:21
mad everybody likes to be claimed and
9:23
you said it already yeah so so he two
9:25
days before my birthday October 13th he
9:27
kept saying what what do you want for
9:28
your birthday you want this you went
9:29
that I don't want that I don't want that
9:32
I literally sat up in the bed like was
9:35
October 11th I said I know what I want
9:38
for my birthday he said what I said I
9:42
want to get
9:43
married he went
9:47
okay and I went did he say okay oh
9:51
and we got
9:53
married look at look at look at look at
9:56
say I didn't tell anybody I didn't tell
9:57
I tell in the bed y'all got married in
10:01
[Applause]
10:03
Vegas
10:05
ass what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas
10:08
shout out to DJ fransen right you got
10:11
married in Vegas was Elvis your preacher
10:14
I shut up I I have we were we weren't
10:17
telling anyone okay you know he wanted
10:19
to get married all along I said I don't
10:21
know you that well but but and then when
10:25
you know this is like 12 years whatever
10:27
and then he's like well I wanted you
10:29
know about 1,500 people I said I'm not
10:32
having no 1500 people giving my money
10:34
away for no no sound like he i' rather
10:37
I'd rather do something in the house you
10:38
know CU we went a home together and we
10:41
you know we we basically married if we
10:44
got unmarried you would know why because
10:46
I would take everything but
10:50
anyways okay I'm coming to see the play
10:53
tonight like what time but but but but
10:57
it was just like it was just the right
11:01
moment you know it was just the right
11:04
moment and I'm thinking the whole time
11:06
oh we going to get in the fighting it
11:07
ain't gonna go down you know we GNA get
11:09
inight we were like you know you know
11:10
doing our little thing and then my best
11:12
friends that were there in Vegas they're
11:14
the ones that really orchestrated I was
11:16
say well I don't know what we're gonna I
11:17
know what to do you're going to go they
11:20
organizing the whole if they weren't
11:22
there organizing all that stuff and you
11:24
know this Chapel that was really
11:26
beautiful and that's all they did was
11:27
married people all day long was really
11:29
interesting but I did a wow congrat let
11:32
me see the ring congratulations the Ring
11:34
The Ring right she proposed ringed no no
11:39
she she suggested no I rather did he did
11:41
he ever propose though did he officially
11:43
propose oh he officially proposed on on
11:46
on the open winfy show Beverly Full
11:48
House oh but I had just met him and
11:50
there was like some kind of setup I was
11:52
like oh you ain't going to trick me into
11:53
that I was like I just met you but no I
11:57
I want I want a piece of property I
11:58
don't want a ring I got a lot of rings I
12:01
heard that so you want a piece of
12:03
property and not a ring can that be a
12:06
thing like buy the property and not the
12:08
ring teach the girls wait a minute hold
12:11
up that's a whole new concept y there's
12:13
a show like that already really really
12:15
oh yeah it's on Netflix um where they
12:17
asked couples who are engaged uh in
12:20
order to win would they rather have the
12:23
network or Netflix pay for this
12:26
elaborate wedding or would they rather
12:28
have the more morage okay and people be
12:31
would have chose the mortgage CH
12:32
mortgage some couples choose the wedding
12:33
and some people choose the mortgage but
12:35
it goes the wedding a wedding in a
12:37
mortgage oh are they kidding me yeah yes
12:40
I mean it's you know I I mean I wouldn't
12:43
flip the homes but I would have a
12:44
flipper that's what I okay you have
12:46
somebody I sound like my daughter a non
12:48
she's like the you know spreadsheet you
12:50
know that's her right yeah she's that I
12:52
like that she's that girl B come up in
12:54
here dropping gems Mike Ms I have a
12:56
question I'm curious about that I'm
12:57
always fascinated with tell anybody
12:59
though I'm excuse me don't tell anybody
13:01
no we won't say
13:02
anybody anybody I'm I'm always curious
13:05
when people find love later on in life
13:08
right you have grandkids you had your
13:10
own career you have your own rings as
13:12
you said what does marriage and the
13:14
purpose of marriage for you now look
13:16
like for you it's so profound because
13:20
it's on a totally different level and
13:22
it's most certainly on a spiritual level
13:25
as we get closer to to to Our God
13:29
whoever that may be and and and each day
13:33
and moment becomes so precious and those
13:36
moments with your your grandchildren I
13:38
mean everything becomes like oh you know
13:42
and and I always say and my my mother
13:45
was great great great great you know she
13:47
had all kind of things and I all now I
13:49
undersood why she took such great care
13:52
of herself because she did it for for us
13:55
and the kids and the great great
13:56
grandchildren and all that because that
13:58
filled her up you know she stayed
14:00
beautiful and wonderful for so long and
14:03
I can't wait to see my those I want to
14:06
see them grandkids get married to
14:07
somebody I just I just have to see it
14:10
yeah I just want to be there I want to
14:11
be there when little you know uh when
14:14
when the baby goes in the NBA and starts
14:17
like he he does it now at five years old
14:19
he's backing up and doing all kind of
14:21
crazy stuff I can't I I want to be here
14:23
to see that God willing amen you know
14:26
and so it's on a totally different scale
14:29
and the fights aren't a totally
14:30
different skill the fights are different
14:32
right yeah like they're what are they
14:36
what are y'all do do y'all argue or do
14:38
you do you not say anything is it
14:40
silence that's a great fight yeah that's
14:42
a great I break that damn silence I can
14:44
break silence down really quick because
14:46
you can't stand it after a while you
14:47
better okay all
14:50
right all right we're not kids anymore
14:53
but also we have we have we have a
14:55
spiritual guide and we also have um um a
14:59
um a business um person we we also I
15:03
have my own therapist where I can tell
15:05
her everything I want to say to his face
15:08
but but we we we H we have guard rails
15:11
and we have people that are are
15:13
supporting us because you know he's a
15:14
he's a very intelligent brilliant man
15:17
what he was doing on Wall Street when I
15:19
was breaking barriers in the modeling
15:21
world he was doing that on Wall Street
15:23
he was the first black man that went
15:26
into these big and and he's still what's
15:28
his name his name is Brian mil you know
15:31
the you remember the big that The Big
15:34
Short wasn't about that white guy it was
15:36
about Brian he created the first CMO
15:39
really yeah it was your husband
15:42
boyfriend fiance right my husband
15:44
boyfriend love fiance
15:47
smart as you taking companies public and
15:50
all that you know it's really it he's
15:53
really brilliant really brilliant black
15:56
man and also he brought a lot of black
15:58
men into the business of I love that gu
16:01
say his name again Brian mil can I meet
16:04
him yes you can okay I'll love to meet
16:07
him bring them up here love to talk to
16:08
him oh that would be great love that
16:10
y'all both come up here we'll do a
16:11
couple interview oh my God first I got
16:14
to good back in St that I did all he
16:16
doesn't listen to radio I don't think no
16:18
he's on he's on the conference calls and
16:20
the things and he selling his company
16:22
he's you know he's he's he's a busy fell
16:24
doing his thing Beverly Johnson is here
16:26
we're talking about our new Play Beverly
16:27
Johnson in vog is playing at
16:30
59e 59 theater on B uh B Theater B 59
16:36
East 59 Street and it's going to play
16:37
till February uh 4th 2024 when you came
16:41
on our show eight years ago and I I had
16:43
read your book and I really enjoyed our
16:46
conversation I don't know if you
16:47
remember it um that was your chance to
16:50
say yes S I remember it it was very imp
16:52
we were just talking about am okay good
16:56
uh your book was so revealing so
16:58
transparent we talked about all the
17:00
different things um that you people You'
17:03
dated you know from Mike Tyson Eddie
17:05
Murphy all these different we talked
17:06
about Bill Cosby I remember that and uh
17:09
and we talked about when you were giving
17:12
birth right and somebody suggested that
17:15
you um take a tot of what did they call
17:17
it cocaine or something to that point oh
17:20
oh oh that was a baby shower a baby
17:22
shower that was a baby show and um you
17:25
know was up at you know the Plaza Hotel
17:27
and everything like that and yeah she
17:29
said um you want that baby to come down
17:32
I said I sure do she said take take a
17:35
little bit sure enough and it worked
17:38
uhhuh well we don't want to Advocate
17:41
that but the point was you talked about
17:45
it in your book how does this play how
17:47
do these scenarios play out on stage oh
17:50
uh oh there well some of them you you
17:53
you cry you know you cry and you know I
17:55
had the the you know I was with a guy
17:57
that was made by the Italian mafia I
18:00
mean like for real oh he was a made man
18:02
oh he was a maid man yeah and um may he
18:05
rest in peace wherever he is um but I
18:08
got to come see this
18:10
show but I had I was in over my head I
18:14
mean this is not like something you say
18:15
I'm leaving no you don't leave that you
18:18
know because you know anyways it's it's
18:20
it's a long story but you know and it
18:24
was so dangerous I mean I'm talking
18:27
about
18:29
scared because I finally realized yeah
18:32
you could lose your life yeah dating
18:34
somebody in that Circle oh yeah and then
18:36
they tell them that you know more than
18:38
you really know oh you byebye uh it
18:41
happens all the time and I had got but
18:44
grace of God it's by the grace of God
18:46
that I'm here I grace of God but anyways
18:51
um I think the book is a cautionary tale
18:56
okay um
18:59
be careful and I was just saying it at
19:02
the theater you know you know you're a
19:03
model and you're insecure and you know
19:06
you insecure about money because it's
19:08
going to end soon it's like that of an
19:09
athlete five or six years and then you
19:11
marry for for for reasons you know he
19:16
had money he was supposed to be this big
19:17
shot he was old guy I said I don't want
19:19
to your friends are telling you you
19:21
should you should and you know in your
19:23
heart that you shouldn't but you do it
19:25
anyways don't do that don't do it how
19:27
close did you come you say by the grace
19:30
of God you were here today can you
19:31
recall a moment grace of God I can
19:34
recall so many moments I I can recall um
19:38
you know in a hotel a really raggedy
19:41
rundown ass Hotel on my
19:44
knees and just praying to God I said
19:48
God show me the way just show me the way
19:51
CU I wasn't going back there I was not
19:53
going back there yeah wow Beverly
19:56
Johnson you got to go see the play we
19:59
going you going to see the play
20:02
absolutely 100% Beverly Johnson a girl
20:05
trip inog uh written by her it's going
20:09
to run through February the 4th 2024 MH
20:12
theater B 59 East 59 Street New York
20:15
City we should do it as a group we
20:17
should do a group
20:18
outing want to do that y want to do that
20:20
everybody's on board yeah we on boy
20:22
Beverly Johnson you have to come back I
20:24
really enjoy conversation with you you
20:26
so much absolutely and when you talk to
20:28
Matt Barnes tell him I'm a big fan of
20:31
his big advocate of everything he does
20:34
and doing okay okay I'll bring him up
20:36
here bring Matt you GNA bring Matt I'll
20:38
bring Matt bring Matt up here I would
20:39
love to tell him to bring his toys okay
20:42
all right okay Beverly Johnson thank you
20:45
for coming
20:50
through
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