Shawn Johnson, the Olympic gymnast, has shared the story behind the inception of her and her husband Andrew East's podcast, "Couple Things," detailing a decision she initially found "crazy" and upsetting.
During an appearance on the podcast "The Bossticks," Johnson recounted that East launched their show in 2019, just seven days after she gave birth to their daughter, Drew. She described the move as unplanned, stating that they had never discussed starting a podcast together. East independently came up with the name and concept, and then launched it on Apple Podcasts.
"I was so pissed and so mad" at the time, Johnson said, explaining that she was also postpartum with their first child. She recalled that the podcast immediately gained traction, charting shortly after its launch. This success left them with little choice but to continue with the project.
East, 34, acknowledged that "mistakes were made" during the process. Despite the rocky start, Johnson now considers the podcast her "favorite thing" they do together, joking that their shared work is "what crazy people do" as they spend considerable time together.
The couple, who have been together since 2012 and married since 2016, also share sons Jett, 4, and Bear, 2. Johnson has previously spoken about experiencing tension and feeling disconnected in their marriage after the birth of their third child, attributing some of it to postpartum depression. She found therapy, which East encouraged, to be a significant help in their healing process, calling it the "greatest gift" from her husband.