Supermodel Beverly Johnson, bares it all in upcoming one woman show Beverly Johnson Naked. Friday night, Beverly treated friends, family and industry insiders to a first read at the West Hollywood Library Theater. Attendees included daughter Anansa Sims, Basketball star Matt Barnes, Donna Mills, Harry Hamlin and fellow Supermodel and Bill Cosby accuser Janice Dickinson.
The show opens with a series of black and white historical images of African American Women who changed the world. Women like Beverly who shattered the glass ceiling. In 1974, Beverly Johnson made history as the first African American model to grace the cover of Vogue. Beverly takes the audience on a runway walk down memory lane. Recounting her days as a teenage girl growing up in Buffalo, New York to being catapulted on to the world stage at just 17yrs old.
Before Beverly left home to attend college, she was working at a clothing store. The owner suggested she pursue modeling and gave Beverly the number of a well connected friend in New York City. Although Beverly had a more traditional career in mind, she kept the number in her wallet. During school break and in the need of extra cash, Beverly convinced her Mom to take a train to New York City.
In less than a New York minute, Beverly found herself at the offices of magazine publishing giant Condé Nast. When she arrived, the receptionist thought she was there to take a typing test. Beverly said, “No, I’m here to be a model.” Beverly booked a photo shoot the very next day. Within weeks, she was steadily booking jobs for top magazines like Glamour.
Celebrated fashion designer, Halston took notice. He invited her to a dinner party at his home. Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor were in attendance. Beverly was thrust into this surreal reality but on the flip side was living in a rat infested apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. The illusion of glitz and glamour was overshadowed by the dark underbelly of the modeling industry. And Beverly was no angel. She started using cocaine to stay thin and barely ate. On one hand, while enjoying success, making smart career decisions and advocating for equal wages for African American models she was extremely self destructive.
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Beverly’s choices in men were also a shortcoming. In fact, Beverly is lucky to be alive. Second husband, mobster Danny Sims was a real piece of work. A shady character to say the least. Their marriage was plagued by abuse, drug use, infidelity, corrupt business dealings, a murder investigation and a bitter custody battle. Beverly would ultimately triumph as she found sobriety and reconnected with her daughter.
In 2014, longtime friend Janice Dickinson appeared on television accusing Bill Cosby of rape. Beverly felt compelled to share her own story of how the “MOTHER FUCKER,” dangled a role on the Cosby Show. He invited her to his home for an audition. Cosby insisted she drink a cappuccino. After one sip, she became dizzy. Beverly knew she had been drugged. When Beverly confronted Cosby, he threw her out of his house and put her in a cab. She woke up the next day in her bed. That’s all she could remember. Pictured below, Beverly ask the audience by a show of hands if they ever had a #MeToo moment. More than half the room raised their hand.
Beverly shares her story with a relatable, honest voice. She is strong and beautiful. Looking back through a lens of pain, humor but most of all pride, at 66yrs old, Beverly is a work in progress gearing up for her next series of “first.”
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