Magic Johnson has said that his ongoing support for his son, EJ Johnson, is what motivated Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union to do the same for Dwyane’s daughter, Zaya, after she came out as transgender in 2020. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Magic, who had been on a promotional campaign supporting his new Apple TV+ series, They Call Me Magic, declared there was no chance he wouldn’t have stood by EJ after he publicly came out as gay in 2013.
“We’ve always been people who try to do the right thing and do the thing we were supposed to do,” the 62-year-old expressed. “No way we were not gonna support our son. No way we were gonna not love him, as we tell him, be who you want to be, we gonna love you regardless, we gonna support you.” Magic said that his outlook on life as far as his parenting skills were concerned resonated with Dwyane and Gabrielle, who also appear in Magic’s streaming project.
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“And then because of that, Dwyane and Gabs said, ‘Oh man, look at that.’ We are looking at our part, do our own thing with our own son, so if we can help anybody just by being who we are, just by doing the right thing, that’s a good thing and a powerful thing,” he continued. “So, thank God we have influenced people, whether it’s on the court, off the court and just in our everyday walking life. If we’ve done that, then we have been a blessing.”
At the show’s premiere event, Gabrielle vocalized her stance on the matter. She said that it was Magic and his wife, Cookie, who inspired her to have an open mind and help show them “the way” to navigating parenthood with a child who identifies as gay or transgender. The Being Mary Jane star stressed that having an understanding family is vital to her before adding that every one of her relatives deserves to be treated equally and with respect.
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When the couple moved to Los Angeles with Zaya, it was Magic and Cookie who contributed to making decisions on behalf of the teenager’s best interests, such as which school she should attend if she were to embrace her new identity fully. “They were the first people we called, ‘OK, we’re moving to L.A., what school do you guys think is the best school for Zaya?'” Gabrielle recalled. “And they gave us the blueprint. And literally, every step of the way, in my career, in his career, they have been there.”
Dwyane chimed in and said he was moved by Zaya’s encounter with EJ when they met, as it made him realize that his daughter was on a different journey than his own. So, to see her be welcomed with love and support, regardless of whether she was straight or transgender, was pioneering to witness, as the unprejudiced approach by the Johnson family was also something very new to Dwyane.
“And to see them embrace and see them be all like, ‘Yo, whatever you need, I got you. I’m here.’ To me, that’s like what Magic and Cookie have been to us as adults. And to see EJ do the same thing to Zaya, it was amazing,” he said.
They Call Me Magic can now be streamed on Apple TV+.