Mike Johnson rose through the ranks of American politics in part because of his ultraconservative values. A Christian fundamentalist, the speaker of the House has used his faith to shape the public policies he supports since the beginning of his career, notably fighting against abortion access and LGBTQ+ rights. The Louisiana congressman also applies those same values to his marriage. Mike and Kelly Johnson are in a covenant marriage, a legal union that makes divorce nearly impossible. (This is the type of marriage promoted by Jeremy and Audrey Roloff, btw.)

Given its strict nature, covenant marriages are illegal in most states, with the only exceptions being Arizona, Arkansas, and the Johnsons’ native Louisiana. But that’s how Mike likes it, as he often praises his wife’s subservience and sacrifices in his name. That’s what he did when he was elected speaker after weeks of gridlock, and his wife couldn’t attend the swearing-in ceremony. “This happened sort of suddenly. She’s spent the last couple of weeks on her knees in prayer to the Lord. And, she’s a little worn out,” he joked in his acceptance speech.

Kelly defended that her covenant marriage was her way of avoiding the “bad relationships” she had experienced in the past, which is pretty flawed logic if you ask us. “It gives me such peace and security,” she said on “Good Morning America” in 2001. They’re certainly unlikely to join the list of most expensive political divorces anytime soon. And while we can’t go so far as to say Mike is one of the politicians who have treated their significant others like trash, his approach to marriage isn’t exactly egalitarian.

As if their covenant marriage wasn’t problematic enough, Mike and Kelly Johnson have also raised questions over the now-adult son named Michael they informally adopted when he was 14 (seen above). Michael came into the Johnsons’ care in 1999, when Mike was 27. While Mike often shows off his love for his four biological children on social media, he never posts anything about his older son. What’s worse, he only mentions him at all when it’s politically convenient. 

That’s what he did when he argued against reparations for slavery in a 2019 House committee, when he claimed that Michael opposed the notion that white people today should pay for the mistakes of their ancestors. “In a very thoughtful way, he explained his opposition,” Mike said without elaborating further (via Reuters). When he was elected speaker, Mike denied having turned his back on Michael after welcoming biological children, arguing he never talks about him out of respect for his privacy. “He asked not to be involved in [Mike and Kelly’s] new public life,” a spokesperson told Newsweek in 2023.

Still, the strange dynamics have raised concerns within the Black community. “Johnson has done more than give him privacy, he pretends he doesn’t [even] exist,” Afro-Latino journalist Kevin Ortega-Rojas wrote on Instagram. He also problematized the small age gap between the teen and his legal guardians at the time.”Why was a 27 year old man ‘adopting’ a 14 year old Black boy?” he questioned. The Johnsons clearly have never been afraid to go against societal norms.