Magic Johnson On Gay Son EJ: 'I Was Just Waiting On Him To Tell Me' (VIDEO)

How Magic Johnson Felt When His Son Came Out

Earlier this year, Magic and Cookie Johnson's 20-year-old son, EJ, caused a stir when TMZ videotaped him walking down Sunset Boulevard holding hands with a male friend. On "Oprah's Next Chapter," Cookie and Magic open up about how they learned their son was gay and why their love is unconditional.

"I read a story where you went to him and said, 'Are you gay?'" Oprah says to the Johnsons in the above video. "Is that true?"

Cookie says she and Magic have known for a long time that their son was gay. She says since EJ was 3 or 4 years old, he loved to wear dresses and dance around. "So you kind of know something, but you think they're going to grow out of it," she says. "And then he really never did, but it's okay because it's your child. You love your child and you support your child no matter what they are, you know what I mean? And so we did all along."

"And being a mom, I knew," Cookie says. "So when that teenage time came around, I just pulled him aside and talked to him about it because I didn't want him to feel bad about it. I didn't want him to feel like he had to hide. And I didn't want him to be insecure, especially around us. So I just talked to him and he felt so relieved."

Magic adds, "I would say it was a shock in the beginning, but also I knew. I was just waiting on him to tell me, and he did.

"E.J. is just a lovable guy. As I told him, I said, 'E.J., I love you, so I'm going to support you no matter what.' And I think it made him feel good -- because it's one thing with Mom. And it was another thing with me, because he wanted my approval. He wanted my support."

"Oprah's Next Chapter" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.

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