Beverly Johnson Reveals Diet Of Cocaine, Two Eggs, & Bowl Of Rice Per Week

Beverly Johnson is opening up about what led to her drug addiction, admitting that her diet consisted of nothing but cocaine, two eggs, and a bowl of rice per week.

Drugs in the 1970s were normalized as the "disco era" had people looking for ways to enhance the dancing and the loud music experience. Substances such as cocaine, amyl nitrite, and Quaaludes were among those that were popular during that time.

Johnson's career heightened in the 70s, as she became the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue in 1974. Now, 50 years later, she is opening up about that time in her life, admitting it is not as glamorous as it seemed.

The supermodel was just 22 years old at the time she appeared on the cover of Vogue, and while shooting, she admits, “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,” Johnson told Page Six, “I remember eating two eggs and a bowl of brown rice a week. I would be shaking in a cab, and I would say pull over because I have to get a bag of M&Ms.”

She went on to explain how not eating affected her and her body. "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," the supermodel told the outlet.

It wasn't until Beverly Johnson's mother forced her to look in a three-way mirror one day that the supermodel realized how unhealthy her body was.

“It was the first time I saw my bones looking back at me,” she told the outlet, adding, “It was a major wake-up call for me.”

Despite the modeling business leading to her drug addiction, she admits she is still proud to be the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue. "In those days, you never knew if you were on the cover until you were on the cover," she told CBS when celebrating the 50th anniversary of her Vogue cover. "I really love it. I'm so proud," she added.

Although she appeared on the cover of the magazine, it took the supermodel some time to process the history she had made.

"It wasn't until I was introduced as the first Black woman on the cover of Vogue that it hit me," she said. "I literally went and studied this whole thing about racism," she explained, adding that she grew up in an all-White neighborhood in Buffalo, New York.

To celebrate her 50th anniversary of appearing on Vogue, she is taking the stage to perform a one-woman, off-Broadway show titled "Beverly Johnson: In Vogue," which will tell her life story.

Johnson has been sober for 50 years.