In an Instagram Live, former professional football player Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson — who played 11 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver, first for the Cincinnati Bengals, and then for the New England Patriots — opened up about how, when he needed extra cash and before he went pro, he worked as an exotic dancer under the stage name “Twix.”
According to brobible, Johnson revealed his unconventional part-time hustle to get through college football officially in an Instagram Live session, although he had previously share his difficult-to-believe past in the below 2018 interview on KFC Radio.
I never knew Chad Johnson was a male stripper https://t.co/S42UydsU0I
— Luther Luke Campbell (@unclelukereal1) September 12, 2018
During the Instagram Live session, Johnson recounted his time in Los Angeles, attending Santa Monica College, and working as an exotic dancer to supplement his income. According to his story, it was throughout the year of 1997, when he was 19 years old, that he performed on stage at a club called ‘The Right Track,’ earning $2,500 to $3,000 per night. In his confession, he adds that his success was largely due to the generous tips of “big women.”
His stage name, “Twix,” was inspired by the popular candy bar his slender frame and prominent veins were said to resemble.
Johnson, a respected wide receiver in the NFL throughout 2000s, was admired for his entertaining persona in addition to his athletic ability — and perhaps now we know why. Even through his fame and fortune, Johnson has always been known to be frugal with his earnings, the sign of a man who has worked from the bottom to get there.
According to brobible, “Johnson revealed that he saved nearly 80% of his substantial $48.8 million earnings over his 11-year NFL career, employing cost-cutting measures such as living at the Bengals Paul Brown Stadium, buying imitation jewelry, and opting for budget-friendly flights on Spirit Airlines.”
The revelation about his past invited mixed reactions from his fans, from empathy and camaraderie, to disbelief and horror.
This is not his first time mentioning his past, including in a 2018 appearance on Barstool Sports, which confirms a history of him voicing this experience in a similar way.
While Johnson’s rags-to-riches story is difficult to believe, it’s completely possible, and sheds light on the diverse paths which lead people of all kinds to the stripper stage.
Read the original story on brobible here.
