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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is distancing himself from Hollywood’s culture of political activism, expressing his frustration with the “slinging” and “bulls—” he views as dominating public debate.
During a recent interview with Esquire for the magazine’s Summer Issue cover story, the 54-year-old actor and professional wrestler explained why he decided to keep his political views private.
“What I have learned through experience is that I need to keep — need, not want — the main thing the main thing,” the “Moana” star said. “And the main thing for me, the thing that in the morning I swing my legs out of bed and I run towards, is creating. It’s art. It’s storytelling. I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson pushed back on celebrity political culture. (TheStewartofNY/Getty Images)
Johnson continued, “There are moments when, ‘Hey, there’s nothing we can’t talk about. If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you I’m wrong. Or if I feel like I got a leg up and this is the right way to go, I’ll share it with you.'”
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“Politics is omnipresent and it’s forever,” he added. “I don’t like it. I hate it at times. I hate the slinging. I hate all the bull—t that comes with it.”
Johnson weighed in on politics while appearing on the cover of Esquire’s Summer Issue. (Shaniqwa Jarvis)
Johnson’s remarks came after he was asked about Bruce Springsteen’s recent criticism of President Donald Trump during his Land of Hope and Dreams Tour.
Since launching the tour in March, Springsteen, 76, has repeatedly unleashed blistering attacks on Trump during his concerts.
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After being told about Springsteen’s “overtly political” show, Johnson said his immediate reaction was that the rock icon and the president should have a conversation.
“Because when I hear you talk about Springsteen, who I love, and this idea that he’s speaking directly to Trump in his concerts, my first thought as you were telling me that, in my head, I went, ‘Oh, then why don’t they talk? They should sit down and talk,'” Johnson said. “I don’t know where that goes, but I do know that’s an important step.”
Johnson shared his view that Springsteen and Trump should “sit down and talk.” (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic ;Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
Johnson, who identifies as an Independent, made his first endorsement of a political candidate during the 2020 election, backing former President Joe Biden in his race against Trump.
While speaking with “Fox & Friends” host Will Cain in April 2024, Johnson explained why he would not be endorsing a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
“The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was what I thought was the best decision for me at that time,” Johnson told Cain.
“Am I going to do that again this year? That answer’s no. I’m not going to do that,” he said. “Because what I realized that what that caused back then was something that tears me up in my guts back then and now, which is division. And that got me.”
Johnson explained that he had decided to keep his political views to himself. (Shaniqwa Jarvis)
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“The takeaway after that months and months and months, I started to realize like, ‘Oh man, that caused an incredible amount of division in our country.’ So I realize now going into this election, I’m not going to do that. I wouldn’t do that because my goal is to bring our country together. I believe in that, in my DNA. So in the spirit of that, there’s going to be no endorsement,” Johnson continued.
“Not that I’m afraid of it at all, but it’s just I realize that this level of influence — I’m gonna keep my politics to myself, and I think it’s between me and the ballot box,” he added.
Following a widely criticized debate performance in June 2024, Biden ended his reelection campaign in July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Harris was later defeated by Trump when he won a second term in November 2024.
Johnson previously condemned the July 2024 assassination attempt against Trump and praised the president’s defiant response afterward.
“Whether you love Donald, don’t love Donald, it doesn’t matter. They tried to assassinate him. There’s no room for that. Despite it being who we were in that moment, I still believe in my core that is not who we are as a country. So him standing up at that moment, we wanted to see that,” Johnson said while appearing as a keynote speaker at The Value Conference in September 2024.
The star previously said that he regretted making an endorsement in the 2020 election. (Shaniqwa Jarvis)
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He also noted that Trump was a fan of his wrestling career and had attended his fights in New York City.
“He used to come watch me wrestle all the time at Madison Square Garden. It was great. First time I saw him, he said ‘let me see the eyebrows,’” the “Jumanji” star joked, referencing a popular meme regarding his eyebrow.
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During his interview with Cain, Johnson shared his thoughts on cancel culture.
“To be real and to be direct and to be open and to be transparent….that’s important to me,” he explained. “In today’s easy cancel culture world and cancel culture, woke culture, this culture, that culture division, etc., that really bugs me.”
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Johnson said he’s come to learn that being “real” and honest is more important than worrying about being canceled.
“You either succumb and be what you think other people want you to be, or you go, ‘No, that’s not who I am. I’m going to be myself and I’m going to be real.’ If you ask me something, a real answer is important, and the truthful answer is important, and that may get people upset and may p— people off. And that’s okay,” he said. “But it took me some time to recognize that.”