Former NFL Star Chad Johnson Says ‘Keeping a Woman Happy’ Is One of Life’s ‘Most Difficult Things’

Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson used a guest hosting gig on ESPN’s First Take as an opportunity to gripe about his relationship woes.

During a discussion about Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani on the Monday, March 3 episode, Johnson, 47, argued that Ohtani, 30, has the more impressive skill set of the duo. 

“The two most difficult things in life are hitting a baseball and keeping a woman happy long term,” the longtime Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver argued. 

Johnson’s comment earned chuckles from First Take cohosts Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe (both men are reportedly single). 

The panel was debating whose job is more demanding: Hunter, 21, who played both wide receiver and cornerback at the University of Colorado, or Ohtani, who is a starting pitcher and designated hitter for the World Series champion Dodgers. 

Johnson and his cohosts were inspired to discuss the topic after Hunter was asked if he or Ohtani had the more “difficult” job at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month. 

“Probably me, what I do in football, because it’s a lot on your body,” Hunter told reporters. “Ohtani is a great player, but you gotta do a lot in football.”

Johnson, who played his final NFL game in 2011, added, “It’s incomparable. I gotta get Travis Hunter in a batting cage. Not even anybody pitching. Just the machine. Let a fastball come at you 95 miles per hour.As athletically gifted as you are, I want to see you try and hit it so you get a better understanding. The comparison is not even close.”

As for Johnson’s personal life, his relationship history has been notoriously rocky. 

Johnson, who is the father to six children, married Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada in July 2012. 

The month after the wedding, Johnson was arrested on a charge of domestic battery for allegedly headbutting Lozada, 49. Three days after the incident, Lozada filed for divorce.

Johnson entered a plea of no contest to misdemeanor domestic battery and served a year of probation. 

In January 2023, the football star got engaged to former Selling Tampa star Sharelle Rosado. Johnson and Rosado, 37, share daughter Serenity, who was born in January 2022. 

Rosado announced she and Johnson had called off their engagement in October 2023. 

“Chad and I are no longer together please stop tagging us,” the reality star wrote via X. “He is a free man ladies.”

During an appearance on the “Reality With the King” podcast in January 2025, Rosado claimed she dumped Johnson after finding flirtatious conversations with other women in his phone. 

“The s— I saw was crazy,” she said.