What Happened to Traci Lynn Johnson? Her Age, Height, Husband
Traci Lynn Johnson
Ex-model Traci Lynn Johnson rose to public prominence thanks to her controversial relationship with Tiki Barber, the former running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). Upon joining the cast of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”, the blonde appeared ready to make a name for herself in the reality TV circuit; however, she graciously bowed out of the show after just one season due to conflicting commitments.
Traci was born on 30th September 1986, in Pine Bush, New York State, USA. The celebrity spouse is 5ft 10ins (178cm) tall and weighs 149lbs (65kgs).
Affair Scandal
The unfortunate circumstances of how Tiki and Traci met have plagued the couple since their relationship was made public. The football player got to know Traci, a 23-year old NBC intern, while he was working on the “Today” show; he and his then-wife Ginny subsequently hired her to care for their children, A.J. and Chason.
As the lines between Tiki and Traci’s boss-employee relationship became increasingly blurred, the former athlete helped Traci land an internship on the “Today” show and they began secretly seeing each other despite Tiki’s marital status. It’s important to note that during this time, Ginny became pregnant with twins.
In early April 2010, it was announced that Tiki and Ginny were separating after 11 years of marriage – and mere days later, The New York Post exclusively revealed that the former NFL player was in a clandestine relationship with his babysitter.
From then on, media outlets described Traci as ‘the long-tressed temptress who lured Barber away from his beautiful wife’ and ‘Tiki’s babe sitter’, and although Tiki himself received his fair share of criticism, Traci’s age and previous anonymity made her an easier target.
Things weren’t looking good for the couple, especially when sources close to Ginny confirmed that Tiki had left his pregnant wife in November 2009 while maintaining his family man façade. Conflicting reports also emerged, including claims that Tiki and Traci began sleeping together when she was just 21 years old and studying at Mount St. Mary College.
Jewelry, designer clothes, and extravagant floral arrangements were just some of the gifts that the running back reportedly showered Traci with – and journalists discovered that in September 2009, the young blonde had posted a photo of Tiki’s blue Maserati on Facebook and called it her ‘boyfriend’s whip’.
Marriage to Tiki
Eight days after Tiki and Ginny’s divorce was finalized, the athlete married Traci in a laidback civil ceremony at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau in July 2012. According to news outlets, Traci had initially been hoping to marry the disgraced athlete at a private home in the Hamptons; however, they eventually downscaled their plans.
In the two years between the affair scandal and the marriage, Tiki’s hopes of rebranding himself as a serious journalist had been dashed when he was axed by the “Today” show – and despite his attempts at damage control, his public image never recovered.
‘I had a bad marriage. I left. It doesn’t mean I’m a bad father. I fell in love with someone else,’ Tiki told Sports Illustrated in May 2011. Needless to say, the former NBC correspondent’s lack of contrition didn’t help his case, and he and Traci decided to lay as low as possible for the next year until his divorce was finalized. During the interview, Tiki also revealed how he and Traci would secretly meet in his Jewish agent Mark Lepselter’s attic and described it as a ‘reverse Anne Frank thing’.
Similarly, Traci’s tentative attempts at easing herself into public life – such as an August 2012 interview with a popular nightlife magazine – were met with plenty of backlash. With tone-deaf quotes such as: ‘People who keep saying all these negative things about me don’t know me at all… They just hate their life more, so it’s easy for them to hate me instead of dealing with their own problems,’, it is, perhaps, easy to see why the blonde gained more detractors than fans.
RHONJ’s Traci Lynn Johnson Addresses Rumor She Broke Up Husband Tiki Barber’s First Marriage, Plus Live Viewing Thread #RHONJ #TraciLynnJohnson #TikiBarber https://t.co/aO3WiK9z9k via @Realityblurb
— Reality Blurb (@RealityBlurb) April 5, 2022
In December 2013, Tiki and Traci welcomed their first daughter, Brooklyn. Two and a half years later, they welcomed a further addition with the arrival of Teagan, officially making Tiki a father of six. Along the way, the couple leaned on each other, and became their greatest mutual support system in the face of public vitriol and financial woes. During his two-year divorce proceedings, Tiki claimed various times to be broke and unable to pay the $150,000 a month Ginny demanded in alimony.
It’s been almost a decade and a half since the couple were confirmed to be together, and although many believed that their love story wouldn’t stand the test of time, Tiki and Traci appear to be happier than ever. The Barber-Johnson family unit is a tight-knit one, as both parents often post pics of the happy foursome on their social media accounts. From supporting their daughters at cheerleading competitions to dressing up in matching costumes for Halloween, it’s evident that Tiki and Traci make sure not to miss out on any milestone events.
Reality TV Career
As mentioned, Traci was a supporting cast member of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” during its twelfth season. Introduced to viewers as a friend-of, Traci went down well with audiences, which is why netizens were surprised to learn that she had been unceremoniously edited out of the three-episode end-of-season reunion.
According to Housewife Jackie Goldschneider, Traci looked ‘beautiful’ and was wearing a ‘stunning gold dress’ when the reunion was filmed. Even so, the production team at Bravo had to make some tough decisions and squeeze in as much interesting footage as possible – meaning that Traci just didn’t make the cut.
‘I don’t think Traci said anything groundbreaking at the reunion,’ Jackie explained. ‘I really think they had to make a choice.’
As mentioned, the exuberant blonde reportedly said ‘no’ to returning for season 13 due to her busy schedule, which is mainly occupied by caring for her two daughters. Given that Tiki is still said to be worth $16 million, it’s also true that the Barber-Johnson clan isn’t hurting for money.
