Beverly Johnson said she used cocaine and severely restricted food early in her modeling career in an effort to stay thin. Her account, reported from a Page Six interview by Fox News on January 17, 2024, is a retrospective personal account—not advice, a medical history, or evidence about what every model experienced.
What did Beverly Johnson say about cocaine and staying thin?
In the Page Six interview reported by Fox News, Johnson described cocaine as part of the pressure she experienced to remain thin. Fox News quoted her saying: “We were led to believe that cocaine was not addictive. We didn’t know cocaine was addictive. Everyone used drugs back in the day, but that particular drug for models was used because we did not eat.” This is Johnson’s recollection, not a scientific statement about cocaine or a claim that all models used it.
Johnson also described eating very little. Fox News reported that she recalled having a bowl of rice and two eggs in a week. That detail comes from her account as relayed in the interview coverage; the available reporting does not establish a complete clinical timeline or independently verify each detail.
What did she say about the effects and a turning point?
Johnson recalled shaking and described praise for being extremely thin as part of her working environment. As Fox News reproduced her recollection: “I would just stop and get the shakes. We did not eat, and every time you came to work they would say, ‘Yes! Chisel to the bone girl. Yes,’ like congratulating you. Nobody really told you the truth.”
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Fox News also reported that Johnson described a confrontation with her mother as a wake-up moment. The account is a personal retrospective; the coverage does not provide medical records or an independently documented sequence of events.
Why was Johnson in the news in January 2024?
The interview coverage coincided with the 50th anniversary of Johnson’s August 1974 American Vogue cover. Vogue’s January 16, 2024 profile identifies Johnson, then 22, as the first Black model to appear on the magazine’s cover and discusses the anniversary alongside her one-woman show. The fashion milestone offers context for the coverage, but it does not verify the personal details of the later interview.
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EL PAÍS also covered the interview and identified Johnson’s memoir, Beverly Johnson: The Face That Changed It All. The cited coverage is secondary reporting; it should not be treated as clinical documentation or as a guide to treatment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the reporting does—and does not—establish
- Johnson’s statements concern her own reported experience in her early modeling career.
- The reporting describes her account of cocaine use, food restriction, shaking, and her mother’s intervention; it does not independently establish every detail or a full timeline.
- These reports do not establish how common such behavior was among models, and Johnson’s account should not be generalized to an entire profession.
Sources: Fox News, January 17, 2024; Vogue, January 16, 2024; EL PAÍS, January 20, 2024.
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