Picture of robert l. johnson

American billionaire businessman

For other people with similar names, see Robert Johnson (disambiguation).

Robert Louis Johnson (born April 8, 1946) is an American entrepreneur, media magnate, executive, philanthropist, and investor.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} He is the co-founder of BET, which was acquired by Viacom in 2001.^[2][3] He also founded RLJ Companies, a holding company that invests in various business sectors.^[3][7] Johnson is the former majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets).^[8] He became the first black American billionaire in 2001.^[1][9][10] Johnson's companies have counted among the most prominent black American businesses in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Early life and education

Johnson was born in 1946 in Hickory, Mississippi, the ninth out of ten children to E 294 Bet Robert L Johnson Stock Photos & High-Res Pictures QYKID