Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson ignited a social media debate on Tuesday, June 29, after the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver offered his opinion on how much a man should pay when going out on their first date with a potential partner.
The debacle began after Johnson responded to a Twitter user with the handle name @saylee, who asked their male followers,” How much money is too much money for the first date?” The 43-year-old then retweeted the post and suggested that men be alarmed if they pay over $50. He wrote, “Anything over $50 is a red flag.”
Johnson’s initial red flag response was immediately met by retaliation from a female Twitter user named Diamond. She told the Miami native to “Leave us alone!” hoping that Johnson would stop expressing what he deemed was the correct amount of money to spend on the first date.
Johnson tweeted back that it shouldn’t cost that much for a date if he can personally find ways to “stretch” $50. “I can stretch $50 for a week, [it] definitely doesn’t take that much for a 1st date queen.”
Once Johnson’s tweets started making their rounds through the social media blog sites, many people reacted differently to the father of seven’s statements. One person went as far as to mention Johnson’s lucrative tipping habits despite his $50 date advice.
“Now Chad…”
“Yet he be tipping $1000 for a $20 meal 😂.”
“Why does the amount being spent determines if it’s a substantial date or not ? Enjoy each other company!”
“He’s right 😂😂 you don’t even know the girl and you want to spend over 50 dollars on her the first date 😂😂 I’m good ma.”
“One meal is around $50 tho.. if you broke just say that?”
Although countless people differed over Johnson’s advice, his stance regarding money and relationships can be infamously traced back to a tweet he shared last year regarding his then-girlfriend and now fiancé Sharelle Rosado. Johnson tweeted he knew he found the one when she liked McDonald’s as much as he does. He wrote, “a man that findeth a woman that likes McDonald’s has foundeth a wife.”
