Apple TV+ released its documentary They Call Me Magic in April 2022. I have no idea what reception the documentary received because at the time I knew very little about Magic Johnson. In fact, I didn't even know there was a documentary series out about the former Los Angeles Laker until my boyfriend asked if I wanted to watch it with him. Documentary is a genre we both love, so it was nothing to settle in for the handful of episodes and watch it.
Basketball is a pretty major topic in our home, so the interest was already there. And while my boyfriend knew plenty about Magic heading into the experience, I was completely, woefully ignorant to just about everything to do with his life, including his relationship with his wife, Cookie Johnson.
Let me tell you: I was a very big fan of Cookie as soon as she was introduced in the series and was immediately extremely mad at Magic for not immediately marrying this, well, magic woman. It turns out that I wasn't alone; Cookie is joined by two good friends who admit that they were a bit ruffled about this fact, too.
But that was then; this is now.
The rest of the documentary series is downright moving, including Magic and Cookie's story before and after their marriage. I knew Magic is a legendary basketball player, but I didn't know he did all that. I knew he was diagnosed with HIV decades ago (he is now HIV-undetectable), but I didn't understand the doors he kicked down in terms of advocacy, awareness, and education. By the end of the series, I was honestly a little embarrassed that I went into the series so woefully undereducated, but I was happy to have had the opportunity to learn.
After finishing the series, I needed more, so I did what most of us do these days: I followed Magic and Cookie on Instagram. I don't know what exactly I expected to see on their accounts, but I definitely didn't realize that I was about to be greeted each day by the magnitude of their love and adoration for one another.
Magic and Cookie Johnson are two people who have climbed those mountains, who have crossed those rivers, and who apparently really enjoy spending their days traveling, going to church, attending events, and doing it all together. Where Magic goes, Cookie is right there. If Cookie is attending an event, odds are Magic is not far away.
A highlight of my summer this year, and probably the summer of everyone who follows these two, was when Magic and Cookie embarked on an epic trip to Europe. They were clearly thrilled to be visiting countries and cities that they know well and love, and they posted photo after photo of themselves yachting around various European seas and bodies of water with their friends and alone (together).
Their photos are beautiful, but it's the captions on each post that just absolutely send me. A highlight for me was on July 29, when Magic shared a photo of Cookie in a Dolce & Gabbana dress … while they were in front of Dolce & Gabbana. Unlike a lot of influencers on Instagram, Magic didn't share this photo to show off — he just seems genuinely tickled that the dress and the walk lined up this way, and that his wife is at the center of it all.
Magic and Cookie are like everyone's idealized mom and dad on Instagram, in love with each other and happy to share it with anyone who wants to tune in.
It's hard to put into words just why these two are so special to me now, but I'm not the only one who delights in their world and the parts of it they share. Some days I wake up and theirs are the first Instagram accounts that I check; other days they pop up when I least expect it, just offering a momentary delight.
Somehow, despite their entirely aspirational lives and the fact that most of us aren't able to spend a summer on a yacht, Magic and Cookie are able to offer something that feels real and achievable: They still really, really like each other. In this day and age, their Instagram accounts give their followers something that feels rare — they offer glimpses into their happiness just so others can feel happy too, without any agenda or game to play.
After all, they don't need to play a game in the first place — they're beyond that. There's something here that's precious and pure, something that we just don't get anymore.
What makes their accounts so special is that Magic and Cookie Johnson don't need any of this. They aren't trying to get followers to promote something; they are light years beyond needing social media for any specific or professional reason at all. They aren't sharing their lifestyle to make others feel bad about not having the same, and they aren't preaching aspiration. Instead, they're just two people who have been in love for decades sharing that love — and doing so in a time where we don't often see something genuine shared on social media.
It's special, what's happening here. It's just … nice. It's easy to get caught up in the lives of others and to put pressure on ourselves to be more, do more, make more — but when it comes to Magic and Cookie, we can just sit back and enjoy.
