Johnson was born on September 1, 1987, in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2001, he made his debut at the theater in a production of the musical made Peter Pan. After joining the American tour of A Chorus Line in the role of Mark, Johnson debuted on Broadway in 2009 in the musical Hair as a member of the ensemble and the first substitute for Gavin Creel in the role of Claude. In 2010, he played the protagonist Jack Kelly in one of the first readings of the musical Newsies.