Bob Johnson is married to his wife, Lauren Wooden, who was his girlfriend of five years.
The couple’s marriage broke the internet not just because the wedding and the proposal were grand but due to their age gap.
Bob Johnson was 74 years old when he married his long-term girlfriend, Lauren Wooden. She was just 41 years at the time of their marriage.
The couple proved that age is, in fact, just a number when it comes to love!
Lauren Dominique Wooden was born in 1979 in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania, and was raised there. Her personal information and information regarding her family background have yet to be public, but Lauren Wooden has traveled frequently nationally and internationally. Her professional experience falls under hospitality management and services at the luxurious Four Seasons Los Angeles in the Beverley Hills.
She pursued her doctoral degree at the International School of Management (ISM) in Paris, France. She was also a scholarship recipient at the ISM.
It has been reported that Lauren and Bob Johnson met each other while she was pursuing her doctoral degree. Bob Johnson was awed by her beauty when he first noticed her.
She has been featured in top news articles like Forbes, Annual Newsletter, The Economist, and The Washington Post. Not only that, but Lauren Wooden has also been serving on a board of directors in Communities in the School of Los Angeles as Vice Chairman, Co-Chairman of the Governance Committee, and Chairman of the Resource Development Committee.
After marriage to Bob Johnson, Lauren also started working as a philanthropist by donating to many charity events.
[image-2]Who Is Bob Johnson’s Wife, Lauren Wooden?
Lauren Wooden officially became Bob Johnson’s wife back in 2016.
Before getting married, the couple had a long-term relationship of almost five years. Bob Johnson met Lauren Wooden when she was pursuing her Ph.D. degree in Paris. They also met each other while she was working at the Four Seasons as a concierge. Bob mentioned that he found her attractive the moment he saw her.
After going on a first date, Bob did ask her hand for marriage, but it happened only after five years! It was the second marriage for both Bob and Lauren.
Bob Johnson married Shiela Johnson in 1969, and they have 2 kids. Unfortunately, the couple got divorced in 2001. His ex-wife, Shiela Johnson, is quite a successful individual. She is the CEO and owner of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, Salamander Innisbrook Resort, and Golf Club in Palm Harbour.
The wedding proposal was quite grand. Bob Johnson proposed to Lauren Wooden in Paris, France, with the help of his best man, Franco Nuschese, who is an owner of Georgetown’s Cafe in Milano.
The proposal had grand decorations, including an ice sculpture of the beautiful Effiel Tower, lots of rose petals, a bottle of expensive alcohol, and a private dinner at Musee Rodin. Of course, he proposed to her with a beautiful seven-and-a-half-carat diamond ring.
The proposal was worth $1 million. The couple got married at one of the luxurious resorts in Nappa Village in California with a group of close friends and family.
Bob Johnson Is The Founder Of The BET
Bob Johnson is a self-made African-American billionaire who became the founder of BET.
He was born on April 8, 1946, in Hickory, Mississippi, USA. He had 10 siblings and was the second youngest child to Edna and Archie Johnson. He came from a normal family where his father was a farmer, and his mother was a school teacher. While he was young, the family moved to Freeport, Illinois.
He did quite well in his studies and was an honors student in his high school. For his bachelor’s degree, he went to the University of Illinois in 1968 and majored in social studies. At the University of Illinois, he was a Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity member. He pursued his Master’s degree at Princeton University (Woodrow Wilson School) in 1972. His major was Public Affairs.
After graduating from Princeton, Bob Johnson found a job in the television industry in Washington, DC. He worked at the Corporation for Public Affairs as a public affairs director. There, he learned a lot about the TV industry’s power in society.
At the same time, Bob Johnson also found a job as the director of communications at the National Urban League. Bob Johnson also worked as a press secretary for Walter E. Fauntroy.
After years of being associated with the television industry, Bob Johnson later became Vice President of Government Relations at National Cable and Television Association. Around 1980, Bob Johnson launched BET, which fully developed in 1983.
After leaving NCTA in 1979, Bob Johnson created BET, the television network directed especially toward African-Americans. BET only used to air for two hours on Friday night.
After earning huge profits in 1985, BET became the first African-American-owned company enlisted in the New York Stock Exchange in 1991. Later, Bob Johnson became the owner of 48% of the company’s shares. Later, in 2001, Viacom purchased the BET for $3 billion, and Bob Johnson earned $1 billion out of it, making him the first African-American billionaire. Bob stayed as the CEO of BET till 2006.
Bob Johnson is also a founder of RLJ Companies, a company that has a portfolio of real estate, financial services, sports and entertainment, private equity, automobile dealerships, and so on. The company is headquartered in Maryland.
Bob Johnson was also a founder of Axiom Bank, located in Florida. Bob Johnson is also a member of companies like US Airways, Hilton Hotels, General Mills, etc.
In 2002, Bob Johnson became the first African American to own a major American Sports League Team with his purchase of Charlotte Bobcats. Later, in 2010, he sold the majority stakes to Michael Jordan.
In 2007, Bob Johnson became a creator of the Liberia Enterprise Development Fund, with an investment of $30 million. In 2011, Bob Johnson collaborated with Morgan Freeman to provide funds for hurricane-affected victims in the Bahamas.
He was also a part of a campaign called Malaria No More. As of 2022, Bob Johnson has a net worth of almost $3.4 billion.