10He found out his dad had HIV because of a book report
EJ got candid with The New York Times about his father’s very public battle with HIV, which began when his mother was two months pregnant with him. Of course, the revelation about his father’s diagnosis—said to be the result of an extra-marital affair—led to a significant period of turmoil for the family. However, despite the frenzied headlines and strained family dynamic, EJ was not even aware of his father’s illness until he learned about it by accident after stumbling upon a reference to his father while researching a book report in elementary school.
“The school called my mom and was like, ‘We don’t know if you want him to do the book report, because it talks about the H.I.V.,’ EJ said, adding, “I think it was at that point that they told me that he had been sick and he’s a lot better.”
