Robert L. Johnson

For other people with similar names, see Robert Johnson (disambiguation).

Robert L. Johnson
Johnson in 2018
Born
Robert Louis Johnson

(1946-04-08) April 8, 1946 (age 78)
Hickory, Mississippi, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BA)
Princeton University (MPA)
Known forCo-founder of BET
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 2001)​
Lauren Wooden
​
​
(m. 2016; div. 2020)​
Children2
WebsiteOfficial website

Robert Louis Johnson (born April 8, 1946) is an American entrepreneur, media magnate, executive, philanthropist, and investor.[1][2][3][4][5][6] He is the co-founder of BET, which was acquired by Viacom in 2001.[2][3] He also founded RLJ Companies, a holding company that invests in various business sectors.[3][7] Johnson is the former majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets).[8] He became the first black American billionaire in 2001.[1][9][10] Johnson's companies have counted among the most prominent black American businesses in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

  1. ^ a b Miller, Matthew (May 6, 2009). "The Wealthiest Black Americans". Forbes Magazine. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2013. ... Robert Johnson became the first African American billionaire in 2000 after he sold the network to Viacom for $3 billion in stock and assumed swag. Since then, sagging Viacom and CBS stock, plus investments in real estate, hotels and banks ... have dragged Johnson's net worth to $550 million, we estimate.
  2. ^ a b Bryant, Adam (November 12, 2011). "No Ranting and Raving Is Permitted". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Eng, Dinah (November 9, 2012). "Bob Johnson moves way beyond BET". Fortune. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  4. ^ Perl, Peter (December 14, 1997). "His Way". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference wapost was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Business' Most Notoroius". USA Today. June 30, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  7. ^ Benjamin, Scott (February 11, 2009). "Second Act for Robert Johnson". CBS News. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  8. ^ Rhoden, William C. (June 21, 2004). "Sports of The Times; First Item for the Bobcats: Win Over the Community". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  9. ^ "Robert L. Johnson". Biography. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Olson, Elizabeth (July 15, 2006). "He's Keeping Fingers in Many Pots". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2013.