Johnson was born and raised in San Jose, California, in a devout Christian family.[4] She is of Mexican and Native American descent.[8] She was a Pop Warner cheerleader from the age of 8 and was active in soccer, softball and track.[9] She also practiced hip hop and break dancing.[9] She began acting as a senior in high school and was especially interested in imitating different accents.[9] She later studied speech communications at De Anza College.[9][10] She subsequently became a cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders after being inducted in 2002.[9] As a member of the Oakland Raiderettes she was named Rookie of the Year and performed at Super Bowl XXXVII.