Actor and author Wil Wheaton did not hold back his frustration with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson this week, slamming him as a “coward” for choosing to remain politically neutral.
Johnson played coy when asked whether he had stayed silent to maximize the audience for his movies.
He leaned Democratic in 2020 when he endorsed Joe Biden, but later said he regretted his endorsement.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has come under fire from a Hollywood colleague for choosing to remain silent politically, even as the country plunges deeper into political division.
In a passionate social media post, Wil Wheaton labeled Johnson a “coward,” seemingly maintaining that public figures have a moral obligation to take a stand on critical social and political issues.
“So disappointing to find out he is such a coward,” Wheaton wrote on Threads on Monday, per Entertainment Weekly.
Wheaton’s criticism came in response to a post by George Takei that quoted Esquire’s recent interview with Johnson.
“Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s recent comments to Esquire about wanting to ‘keep my politics to myself’ have divided fans, with some calling out his silence,” Takei wrote on Threads.
In a follow-up response, he added, “Silence is complicity.”
Dwayne Johnson Says Art Is His ‘Main Thing’
Wheaton has remained a vocal Trump critic and previously campaigned for Kamala Harris in the buildup to the 2024 presidential election.
Unlike him, whose political stand is known, Johnson is neither here nor there. In an interview with Esquire last month, he explained why he intentionally avoids the topic when asked whether he was trying to maximize his movies’ audience by doing so.
“What I have learned through experience is that I need to keep — need, not want — the main thing the main thing. 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,” he told the outlet.
Wheaton has remained a vocal Trump critic and previously campaigned for Kamala Harris in the buildup to the 2024 presidential elections.
Johnson Says He ‘Hates’ Politics
Johnson went further to explain in the interview that he does not want his politics to distract from his work, but is always open to dialogue.
“I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself,” he said. “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.”
He continued, “Politics is omnipresent, and it’s forever. I don’t like it. [Laughs.] I hate it at times. I hate the slinging. I hate all the bullsh-t that comes with it.”
He then addressed the reporter, who had brought up politics with a remark about Bruce Springsteen’s recent anti-Trump tour, saying it would be better if both parties that do not see eye to eye had a conversation rather than calling each other out.
Dwayne Johnson Vowed Not To Repeat 2020 Endorsement
Johnson leaned Democratic in 2020 when he publicly endorsed Joe Biden in the buildup to the presidential election.
However, in a 2024 chat with Fox News’ Will Cain, the “Black Adam” star expressed regret for his actions, noting that his endorsement caused significant division among his fanbase.
“The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time… And I thought back then, when we talk about, ‘Hey, you know, I’m in this position where I have some influence, and it’s my job then… to exercise my influence and share… this is who I’m going to endorse,’” he said at the time.
“Am I gonna do that again this year? That answer is no, I’m not gonna do that, because what I realized — what that caused back then — was something that tears me up in my guts, back then and now, which is division,” he added. “And that got me. 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.’”
Dwayne Johnson Opened Up About Cancer Scare
Away from his political stance, Johnson has also had a difficult time with his health, as he opened up about a very painful cancer scare in his interview with Esquire.
He revealed that, before press time for “Jumanji: Open World,” he discovered a lump on one of his testicles while showering.
“By the way: I’m fine,” he insisted. “But I didn’t know that then, and the thing was really painful.”
He added that he decided to keep it away from everyone and did not even tell his wife of nearly two decades, Lauren Hashian.
“I didn’t want to worry her before I knew if it was anything to even worry about,” he said.
When he visited his doctor, he was told it could be a case of epididymitis or a symptom of testicular cancer and was asked to take an ultrasound immediately.
“So, I had to live with that for those 24 hours, not knowing,” he recalled, later adding that he is “OK” now. “And I had to be on all day, joking around, making speeches.”