Unscripted Ernie Johnson talks parenthood, balance and his love for Sir Charles
By Tommy Dee
TNT’s Ernie Johnson recently chatted with The Outside Game discussing his new book UNSCRIPTED: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary
For Ernie Johnson, it’s been a career that has seen him walk in the footsteps of his father, the long time and legendary Atlanta Braves broadcaster Ernie Johnson Sr. and now to the forefront at TNT, CBS, The Olympics and the PGA Championship among other assignments.
The affable, bow tie wearing host has endeared himself to the sports consuming public in a way that few have do so during the rise of mass content consumption where hosts are often drowned out a the sea of social media noise.
Like a savvy floor general on a basketball court, Johnson facilitates the nightly NBA conversation to his surrounding talent, passing stats, notes and quips about the game that are slammed home and rarely rejected by titans Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and of course Charles Barkley.
It’s been quite a hectic year for Johnson, who found himself in the midst of some controversy from those who disagreed with his decision to both discuss politics, and his feelings on the electoral process, live on the air.
In addition, Johnson and his TNT family also had to endure the loss of longtime colleague Craig Sager with Johnson providing a very fitting eulogy.
The Outside Game recently spoke to Johnson about several things including allowing the public into his very private life, the importance of work and life balance and some candid thoughts on his co-host, and good friend, Charles Barkley.
The Outside Game: Congrats on the book. You said recently that you and your wife were reluctant at first to open the doors into your family on E60. Can you talk a little bit more about the ultimate decision to open the doors into your life and let others in?
Ernie Johnson: First of all we were honored, and surprised by the request that Jeremy Schapp made to profile our family. One network doing a piece on a broadcaster from another network is rare to say the least. Cheryl and I have always been pretty protective about maintaining our home as a private place. I’ve done interviews about our family situation before, but never with cameras rolling in our house. So we talked about it and prayed about it, and came to the conclusion that if the piece they turned out on E60 would speak to people about the prospect of adoption, or the challenge of raising special needs children, or facing cancer, or the dynamic of the father/son relationship, or how Faith plays into the entire equation, then we were all in.
We truly had no idea what direction Jeremy and his producer Dan Lindberg would take in telling the story, and when it aired we were absolutely blown away. That was two years ago, and I still hear from people on a regular basis on how they were impacted by the story. That reaction was really the spark that led me to writing “Unscripted.”
TOG: This book seems to, in part, be aimed a lot at lessons in regards to fatherhood. What is the biggest message you hope that all the fathers out there take away from reading this?
EJ: Dads out there (and moms too) need to realize that their kids have super-powers. They see and hear EVERYTHING. A large part of what I learned from my father came from watching him, and not from a series of lectures he gave me about how to be a father, husband, and professional. I just watched him—watched out he treated everybody with respect…how he approached his job…his work ethic…his devotion to his family.
That’s why I know that kids see and hear it all—how you react to being stuck in traffic…how you react when the air conditioning repair man shows up two hours late….how you react to adversity in your life, and how you handle the high points too—staying humble and grateful.
TOG: What are the biggest keys to a healthy work and life balance?
EJ: This is something that everybody out there deals with on varying levels, and it can be really difficult. We deal with work responsibilities taking us away from home and events in our kids’ lives. It’s about making the most efficient use of the time we have and always making sure that your wife and kids know that you love them.
I think at its foundation the answer to that question lies in your identity. My job is what I do, it’s not who I am. I’m a father and husband who happens to be a sportscaster and to be honest there were times in my life when I had that backwards, and had to be intentional about turning that around.
TOG: Lastly, Charles Barkley gets a lot of heat for some of the things he says, but you are always there to stand up for him. How would you characterize your bond with him? What is it about Charles that makes him so important to the TNT family?
EJ: I don’t know if it’s totally accurate to say that I’m always there to stand up for him. We’ve disagreed on quite a few things over the years, but when I feel that he’s been targeted unfairly for something he said I’ll stand up for him, and what I’ll never do is speak FOR him when somebody asks “so what did Charles mean by that??”
I love Charles Barkley. He’s been a great friend to our family and has been a blast to work with for better than fifteen years. He changed the landscape of sports television when he came on board with TNT and he’s helped take our show to a really high, Emmy award winning level. What makes him so important to the TNT family is that he has remained as a broadcaster the same guy he was as a player—always willing to share his opinions, and as entertaining a guy as you’ll ever find.