| Celebrated Name: | Bob Johnson |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Robert Louis Johnson |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 78 years old |
| Birth Date: | 8 April 1946 |
| Birth Place: | Hickory, Mississippi, USA |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 1.7m |
| Weight: | 79kg |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Divorced |
| Wife/Spouse (Name): | Sheila Johnson, Lauren Wooden |
| Children/Kids (Son and Daughter): | No/Yes (Unknown) |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): | N/A/Yes (name) |
| Is Bob Johnson Gay?: | No |
| Profession: | Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, Investor |
| Salary: | $1 million per month |
| Net Worth in 2024: | $1 Billion |
| Last Updated: | April 2024 |
Robert Louis Johnson is an American media magnate, philanthropist, entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder of RLJ Companies which invests in different business sector and also co-founder of BET which was later acquired by Viacom in 2001.
He is also a majority owner of Charlotte Bobcats.
In 2001, he was named America’s first billionaire, with his companies counting among the most prominent African-American businesses in the early twenty-first and late twentieth centuries.
Maybe you know about Bob Johnson very well But do you know how old and tall is he and what is his net worth in 2024? If you do not know, We have prepared this article about details of Bob Johnson’s short biography-wiki, career, professional life, personal life, wife, girlfriend, dating, divorce, kids, today’s net worth, age, height, weight, and more facts. Well, if you’re ready, let’s start.
Early Life & Biography
Born in 8 April 1946 in Hickory Mississippi, Bob was the ninth of the ten children to Archie JOHNSON AND Edna Johnson. His father was a farmer while his mother was a school teacher.
When he was still a child, his parents moved together with them to Freeport, Illinois.
Bob attended the University of Illinois where he graduated in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in social studies. In the same university, Bob was a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
In 1972, he obtained a master’s degree in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.
Age, Height, Weight and Body Measurements
Being born on 8 April 1946, Bob Johnson is 78 years old as of today’s date 24th April 2024. His height is 1.7m tall, and weight is 79kg.
Personal Life: wife, girlfriend, dating, divorce, kids
In 1969, Bob married Sheila Johnnson. The marriage lasted until 2001 having sired two children. He started dating Lauren Wooden, who was 33 years his junior, in 2010. Lauren’s records show that she was pursuing a doctorate in international business management in Paris.
Bob and Lauren married in May 2016 at Auberge Du Soleil in Napa Valley region of California where Greg Mathis officiated. Leon Robinson an actor, music executive L.A Reid and Bill Clinton’s former Chief of Staff, Mack McLarty were intimate ceremony guests in the occasion. The marriage only lasted but until 2020 when they divorced.
Career
After completing studies from Princeton University, Bob secured a job that introduced him to the television industry in Washington DC. Here he served for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as the Public affairs director. It was around the same time that he worked in the office of the National Urban League as the director of communications.
He also worked for Congressman, Walter E. Fauntory as the press secretary.
He later worked for the National Cable and Television Association (NCTA) as the vice president of government relations.
Through the experience, Bob was able to learn the power of untapped potential of television. He launched Black Entertainment Television in 1980 which late became a full-fledged channel in 1983. The Black Entertainment Television (BET) was a first of its kind cable aimed at African-Americans.
BET would only air for two hours on Friday Night when it was launched in 1980. It became the first black-controlled company in 1991 to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Bob and Liberty Media bought all outstanding shares of the company in 1998, a purchase that earned him 42% of the company.
Later in 2001, Viacom acquired BET for $3 billion where Bob earned over $1 billion from the sale. He however remained CEO for BET until 2006.
Bob Johnson later ventured into hotel real estate investment, private equity , financial services, asset management, automobile dealership , entertainment and sports, and video lottery terminal gaming through a singular holdings company outfit; The RLJ Companies, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.
In 2002, Bob purchased Charlotte Bobcats becoming the first American majority club owner of a major American Sports League team. He later sold his majority stake at Charlotte Bobcat to Michael Jordan in 2010
Together with Morgan Freeman, Bob raised funds for hurricane preparedness in Bahamas in 2011.
In 2012, he released a neckwear line in collaboration with The Ella Rose Collection and PVH to support the organization, Malaria No More.
Awards & Achievements
Bob has achieved much in his right. He has served on the board of directors at various organizations and firms. To mention but some, they include Strayer Education, Lowe’s Companies Inc, KB Home, and the NBA Board of Governors.
Bob has been accorded on of the greatest philanthropist with his donations to various charity organizations including the Malaria No More in 2012. He also invested a $30 million starting amount fund for Liberian Entrepreneurs, called Liberia Enterprise Development Fund.
Net Worth & Salary of Bob Johnson in 2024
Bob’s primary source of wealth has been from various investments that have earned him lots of returns. This has been seen through his various assets that include a 778-room resort in Liberia worth $12 million, 100 hotels in Dean White which he owns worth $1.7 million.
When BET was bought by Viacom, he made an asset sale of $3million in 2001. He has also made a private equity fund in Africa valued at $30million.
He also owns over 13,755 units of RLJ Lodging Trust Stock. He sold stock worth over $8.1 million from RLJ. He also makes $2.54 million as Executive Chairman of the Board of Trustees at RLJ.
As of April 2024, Bob Johnson’s net worth is rated at $1 billion.
Having rose into ranks as an African-American, Bob Johnson prides himself a place as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of his time.