Ernie Johnson, a coveted sportscaster for Turner Sports and CBS Sports, has been married to Cheryl Johnson for over forty years and has six children together.
Ernie, a staple name in the sports industry, and his wife, Cheryl Johnson, tied the knot on August 21, 1982. It has been nothing but blissful 42 years of companionship.
Cheryl DeLuca-Johnson is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) who has dedicated her career to serving the community.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mercer University and a master’s degree in professional counseling from the University of Georgia.
Cheryl co-founded Street Grace in 2008 to fight child trafficking through education, awareness, and advocacy.
Not to mention, Cheryl is a successful individual in her own right, apart from Ernie’s utmost prominence in the sports industry.
Cheryl boasts a well-rounded professional experience from the Women’s program, international support, and board membership to consulting and governance.
The professional counselor has previously worked with Metro Atlanta Recovery Residences (MARR) to enhance programs for women.
Likewise, Cheryl also collaborated with World Hope International to understand what survivors and refugees need in Sri Lanka and Poland.
Additionally, she has served on the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia board and worked as a consultant and board trustee for Rainbow Village.
Ernie and Cheryl are passionate about giving back to their community, recognizing how much they have been blessed by it.
Whereas the licensed counselor’s passion for ending child trafficking drives her dedicated efforts daily.
When not working, the multi-award-winning sportscaster Ernie likes playing golf, whereas Cheryl, a University of Georgia alumnus, likes tennis.
Ernie Johnson and His Wife, Cheryl Johnson’s Adopted Son, Michael, Suffers From Muscular Dystrophy!
The longtime couple, Ernie and Cheryl, are the parents of six children: two biological children, Eric and Maggie, and four adopted children, Michael, Carmen, Ashley, and Allison.
Their daughter, Maggie, happily married on June 30, 2012. Whereas the whereabouts of their biological son, Eric, remain unknown.
The empathic couple couldn’t hold but help the children in need, although adoption wasn’t their second thought.
Ernie and Cheryl have experienced several ups and downs in their parenthood journey; nonetheless, if given the chance, they wouldn’t change anything.
Speaking to SportsDay in 2014, the sportscaster said
Every child has the right to a home.
Any time I can, I speak to the benefit of adoptions for both parents and children, I never hesitate. At the same time it wouldn’t be an honest portrayal if people thought I was preaching something that was all blue skies.
Michael, the couple’s adopted son in 1991, suffered from muscular dystrophy. It was Cheryl who crossed paths with the young boy at an orphanage outside of Bucharest, Romania.
The nurse had told Cheryl;
Do not take. Boy is no good.’ Ern, he has so many issues, he’s so much more than we said we could handle, but I don’t know if I can go the rest of my life wondering what happened to him
Despite the nurse’s suggestion not to take him, the couple didn’t take long to welcome Michael as their son.
Later, ESPN’s news magazine show E:60 profiled Johnson’s family and their life living with their son, Michael.
Regardless of people’s narratives about Michael, the couple stood firm in the decision to welcome him wholeheartedly as a part of their family. He penned,
All we knew was that he needed a home, and we were going to provide it, no matter what the doctors in the States would eventually discover about his issues.
Cheryl told the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia about the Johnson family’s favorite memory of living in Gwinnett.
Every so often, she reminisces about vivid memories of going on family outings with the kids.
Some of her best memories include cutting down Christmas trees on the farm in Suwanee, fall festivals, and Fourth of July fireworks.
Ernie and Cheryl founded The Love You Too (LU2) Foundation in May 2016 after their son Michael’s favorite phrase, “Love you too.”
In Case You Didn’t Know
- TNT sportscaster Ernie Johnson has earned multiple Sports Emmy Awards for Best Studio Host.
- Ernie’s father, Ernie Johnson Sr., was a Major League Baseball player and later a television sports commentator for the Atlanta Braves.
- The sportscaster Ernie was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and is now cancer-free.
