He earned it

Texans legend Andre Johnson celebrates HOF election with star-studded, champagne-fueled bash

Andre Johnson and Kareem Jackson

Photo courtesy of Public Content

Houston Texans legend Andre Johnson celebrated his election to the Pro Football Hall of a Fame with a lavish party at nightclub and restaurant Ciel on Sunday, April 7. Johnson will be the first Texan enshrined in the hall at a ceremony that will be held on August 3.

The event was packed with 250 of Johnson’s closest and most famous friends. These included Texans chair and CEO Cal McNair, fellow Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Houston Astros owners Jim and Whitney Crane. Other celebs in attendance included Houston hip hop legend Bun B, former Texans coach Gary Kubiak, and a number of former NFL stars including Adrian Peterson, Vonta Leach, Clinton Portis, Jonathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, and Santana Dotson. Johnson’s mother Karen gave a speech about her son’s incredible career.

Ciel chef Will Ducante served a luxurious five-course meal that started with wagyu dumplings, wagyu tartare, tempura rock shrimp, and avocado salad. Guests dined on a surf and turf of lobster and Australian wagyu filets. For dessert, noted Houston bakery Who Made the Cake! prepared a towering six-layer red velvet construction designed by Nadine Moon. As an extra special touch, each layer was colored to coincide with the various teams Johnson has played with since high school.

The event was sponsored by Brown-Foreman, the illustrious distiller responsible for iconic brands like Tequila Herradura, Old Forester, and Woodford Reserve, and produced by Lasting Empressions Event Design & Production. With the drinks flowing, the party was hosted by 97.9 The Box’s DJ Keisha Nicole, a close friend of Johnson’s.

Johnson also received a selection of gifts from his well-wishers. The Cranes presented him with a custom Astros Jersey featuring his name and the number 24 to mark his induction into the Class of 2024. Johnson’s friend Lynn Price gave him a vintage Chevrolet Corvette, painted with the Texans logo and a large 80 on the doors, his Houston Texans jersey number.

The party went deep into the early morning, according to a release, and featured a toast with premium Ace of Spades champagne.

Johnson was selected third by the Texans in the 2003 draft and played with the team for 12 seasons. In that time, he made his mark as one of the finest receivers in NFL history. He holds the Texans records for most career receptions, career receiving yards, career receiving touchdowns, receptions in a single season, receiving yards in a single season, seasons with 100+ receptions, and best receiving yards per game average.

The former wide receiver is also famous in the Houston area for his philanthropy. For Christmas 2012, he spent nearly $20,000 on presents for children in Child Protective Services, funded by his own Andre Johnson Foundation. Afterwards, he worked with the Houston Police Department as part of their Blue Santa program.

Other players who were announced as part of the Hall of Fame 2024 Class were Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar of the Denver Broncos, football player turned pro-wrestler Steve “Mongo” McMichael, return specialist Devin Hester, defensive end Julius Peppers, and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. The Houston Texans and Chicago Bears will begin the NFL pre-season by playing in the Hall of Fame Game on August 1.

Photo by Xavier Burke

A six-layer red velvet cake celebrated Johnson's entire career.

parties houston-texans celebrities

income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

As the cost of raising a child balloons in major cities like Houston, many families are weighing the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Houston — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Houston, however, is somewhat more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $21,868 to raise a child in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family