7 biggest controversies surrounding Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson amid rumors of feud with Ryan Reynolds
Exploring 7 controversies surrounding Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has a storeyed career in the entertainment industry. During his illustrious career as a WWE superstar and a top-billed Hollywood actor, Johnson has made quite a few friends. He has, however, famously embroiled himself in a few controversies. Let's explore some of them.
1. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's 'Red Notice' issues
Ryan Reynolds locked horns with Johnson regarding his tardiness on the set of their 2021 Netflix film 'Red Notice', as per TMZ. It was reported that the 'Deadpool' actor confronted his WWE champion co-star for coming late to the set when filming was already disrupted because of the Covid-related restrictions. However, a source close to them cleared up the confusion and shared with Page Six that the problem happened "at the height of COVID" when "tensions were high." The insider added, "They’re professionals," sharing that the two superstars have solved their issues.
2. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's tardiness on 'Red One' set
Johnson's tardiness apparently continued during the filming of 'Red One'. Recently, it was reported by The Wrap, that the 'Hercules' star regularly arrived late, sometimes even seven to eight hours, while filming the action-comedy film with Chris Evans. One insider shared with the outlet, "The only thing Dwayne was consistent at was being chronically late." Another tipster added that the WWE superstar's unpunctuality caused the production cost to escalate by at least $50 million. "Dwayne truly doesn’t give a f**k," claimed one more source. However, an individual close to Amazon MGM confirmed that the budget did not exceed the expected rise, adding, "It is completely normal for there to be budget fluctuations within 15% of the target, which is exactly what we experienced."
3. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's comments regarding his Joe Biden endorsement
During an April interview with Fox News, Johnson implied he regretted his decision to endorse President Joe Biden for the 2020 election. The actor shared, "The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one that I thought was the best decision for me at that time. I thought, 'I’m in this position where I have some influence and I felt it was my job then to exercise my influence and share: This is who I’m going to endorse.' I’m not going to do that. I was then, the most followed man in the world, and am today, and I appreciate that. But what that caused was something that tears me up in my guts, which is division. That got me. I didn’t realize that then. I just felt like there was a lot of unrest and I’d like things to calm down." On the topic of the 2024 election, the actor asserted, "My goal is to bring this country together," so there "will be no endorsement." He further stated, "The takeaway after that was it caused an incredible amount of division. I realize now going into this election, I will not do that. My goal is to bring this country together; I believe in that. There will be no endorsement. At this level of influence, I will keep my politics to myself. It is between me and the ballot box. But I will tell you this: Like a lot of us out there, not trusting of all politicians, I do trust the American people and whoever they vote for - that is my president and who I will support 100 percent," as per The Direct.
4. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and the Maui wildfire fundraiser
Johnson ruffled a few feathers when he, along with Oprah Winfrey, launched a fundraiser for those affected by the Maui wildfire in August 2023. Several people criticized the duo, who are multimillionaires, for launching a fundraiser to collect money from people who live "from paycheck to paycheck." Johnson, later, addressed the issue in an Instagram video in October, and said, "I understand money ain’t falling out of the sky and it’s not growing on trees, and there’s a lot of people out there who’s living paycheck to paycheck. And I get it, and I know what that’s like. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck. Seven bucks. I know." Adding that he remembered getting "frustrated" when he had to wait for paychecks, Johnson shared, "The last thing you want to hear when you are living from paycheck to paycheck is someone asking you for money, especially when the person asking you for money already has a lot of money. So I get it. I understand. I’d never launched a fund before, but I’m a quick study, and lesson learned. So thank you." Johnson further noted, "We keep it real. If I do something you guys love, you let me know … If I do something and you hate it, you let me know. ‘Rock, we hate it. Don’t ever do that s--- again.’ Again, lesson learned, I’m a quick study. Thank you. I appreciate that," as per Today.
5. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's beef with Vin Diesel
Johnson and Vin Diesel, who have long been collaborators, turned against each other in 2016, as the former seemingly shaded his 'Fast & Furious' co-star in a since-deleted X (formerly Twitter) post, writing, "It seems like I'm not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling — you're right." The Rock even left the franchise following the feud. A few years of back-and-forth later, the duo buried the hachette when the WWE star revealed he was rejoining the 'Fast & Furious' cast. Johnson took to social media to write, "Despite us having our differences, me and Vin, we've been like brothers for years," as per Nicki Swift.
6. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's alleged steroid use
Joe Rogan called out Johnson in December 2022 and asked him to come clean regarding steroid use after Brian "The Liver King" Johnson was found to be using steroids. 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast host claimed, "I need to talk to you because the Rock's been lying. There's not a f**king chance in hell he's clean," before adding, "Not a chance in hell. As big as the Rock is, at 50? He's so massive, and he's so different than he was when he was 30." The Rock admitted to MTV News in March 2009 that he had tried steroids while in college, saying, "I tried it. Me and my buddies tried it back in the day when I was 18 or 19. Didn't know what we were doing." Having said that, he always claimed that his current body is all-natural, according to Bleacher Report.
7. Cheating allegations against Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Actress Robin Young once claimed that Johnson cheated on his first wife, Dany Garcia, while they were still married. In December 2018, Young tweeted, "I met Dwayne Johnson at Tabu Lounge, MGM Las Vegas. After talking for hours he invited me to his suite #61308 at Mandalay Bay ... Our affair begins that night (audio tapes for proof)." A year later, when Johnson tied the knot with his second wife, Lauren Hashian, Young claimed in another social media post, "I didn't know Dwayne Johnson was married when we met," before adding, "I'm not 'bitter he didn't choose' me, because to be honest #TheRock is a lousy f**k," as per Nicki Swift.
