Before Chad Johnson became “Ochocinco,” he says he was an exotic dancer who went by the name “Twix.”
Johnson was one of the most electrifying wide receivers in the NFL during the 2000s. While other football legends during that time such as Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald let their game do the talking, the loudmouth extremely entertaining Cincinnati Bengals receivers made sure that he was heard during his time in the league.
Along with his accolades on the field, Johnson raked in almost $49 million in earnings in his 11-year career. He says that he saved around 80% of his earnings as well, by being as frugal as possible. The former athlete did so by living in Paul Brown Stadium to save money on housing, buying fake jewelry, and flying cheap on Spirit Airlines.
The Miami, FL native was money-conscious from the start, and it caused him to always be able to find other sources of income.
After not getting many football offers due to his poor grades in high school, Johnson went to the HBCU Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma. He wasn’t there long before he was expelled after fighting his roommate over suspicions the roommate stole $100 from him.
After leaving Oklahoma and getting kicked out of his grandmother’s house in Florida, Johnson moved to California to attend Santa Monica College. While out there Johnson said that he had to work some odd jobs to make ends meet.
“1997 I was in LA,” Johnson said in a clip from his Instagram Live circulating online. “My mama was out there but I really couldn’t live with my mama. So, I had my own lil’ place and whatnot in Santa Monica, and sometimes I was short on my light bill.”
To get by at the time — he was 19 then — Johnson said, “I used to strip, I used to be a dancer.”
He continued, “I used to strip at ‘The Right Track.’ I bulls—t you not, bulls—t you not. I used to make $25[00], $3,000 a night.” He then shared the secret to how he made so much money at the time: “Back then, you dance for the big women. The big women tip you good.”
The now-45-year-old told viewers the meaning behind his stage name back in the ’90s. “My stage name was Twix because I was skinny and had all the veins poppin’ out so I look just like a Twix.”
Viewers in the comments responded to Johnson’s tale on “The Neighborhood Talk” Instagram page.
“Shit The way these bills set up, I’ve considered it too.”
“love him… it’s the transparency for me. Ok Twix!”
“He so unserious lol I cannot like imagine the body roll.”
Some fans didn’t believe his story, but there are receipts dating back to 2018 of Johnson talking about his exotic dancer past.
I never knew Chad Johnson was a male stripper https://t.co/S42UydsU0I
— Luther Luke Campbell (@unclelukereal1) September 12, 2018
Johnson has long since moved on from his stripping past and is now a family man. He has settled down with his fiancée, Sharelle Rosada, and the pair had their daughter, Serenity in January 2022. Serenity is Johnson’s eighth child and Rosada’s fourth.
His last seven children came from six different women. Johnson said he was “strategic’ with every woman he had a child with. On the podcast, “Bussin With The Boys,” he said he wanted his children to be athletes, so he dated women based on their “DNA and athletic background” instead of their good looks.
