Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson is one of Hollywood’s biggest superstars. After starring in a string of blockbusters, Johnson became a brand in himself and built a $800 million empire with his hard work. While “The Rock” maintains a family-friendly public image, the actor isn’t immune to controversies.
In the recent past, Johnson was the alleged subject of a front-page piece from a major publication, which saw the actor openly criticizing the Millennial generation. The piece allegedly quoted Johnson using some harsh words for the Millennials, only for the Baywatch star to later clarify his stance and reveal the truth about the alleged interview. Here is how Dwayne Johnson responded to the alleged interview that tarnished his image.
Dwayne Johnson Debunked Alleged Interview By Major Publication
On January 11, 2019, a major tabloid publication from the United Kingdom published a front-page story about Dwayne Johnson. The story included an alleged interview with the Jungle Cruise star, where he was openly critical of the Millennial generation and called them out for their opinions on a wide variety of issues.
The interview quickly gained the attention of other publications and social media platforms, leading to plenty of negative press for the actor. Later, Johnson had to clear the air regarding the alleged interview where it was claimed that he referred to Millennials as “snowflakes.”
On January 12, 2019, Johnson posted a video on Instagram, where he debunked the interview and called it completely fabricated. Johnson set the record straight with the following words:
“The interview never took place, never happened, never said any of those words, completely untrue, 100% fabricated, I was quite baffled when I woke up this morning.”
Additionally, Johnson clarified in the caption that criticizing a group of people was not his style. Moreover, if he had any issues with a group, community, or generation, he would seek them out and start a dialog to understand their point of view instead of openly criticizing them.
In the alleged interview, Johnson was quoted as responding to several issues in the UK and reportedly placed the blame on the Millennials.
“Generation snowflake(s) or, whatever you want to call them, are actually putting us backward(s). If you are not agreeing with them then they are offended – and that is not what so many great men and women fought for.”
The above statement is a quote that Johnson allegedly made to the publication, which later turned out to be untrue. (via The Guardian).
Dwayne Johnson Has Been the Subject of Fake News and Internet Scams
Dwayne Johnson’s Instagram video came as a response to an alleged interview published by a UK-based news publication. However, this was not the first time the actor was subjected to such an issue. Given Johnson’s fame and stature in Hollywood, he has been at the center of several fake news and internet hoaxes.
In 2018, an imposter website mimicking The Times, had published an article that claimed Johnson praised Rodrigo Duterte, the then-President of Philippines. Similarly, Johnson has become the subject of the internet death hoax on several ocassions in the past.
In another instance, Johnson’s name was used by several fraud Facebook accounts to scam fans for money. The San Andreas star had to once again take to Instagram to clear the air regarding the matter in 2018.
“It’s hard to mitigate these a***les, because they pop up by the dozens daily hoping to prey on the ones who’ve fallen on hard times.”
Johnson stated in the video’s caption, clarifying that his name was being used to swindle fans. As a result, the fake interview published by the UK-based outlet is not the first time Johnson had to publically defend himself from fake news and scams
