Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson spoke very openly about his father, the late Rocky Johnson, during his appearance on the Artist Friendly podcast, sharing an honest look at a relationship that was difficult, emotional, and never fully resolved.
Johnson said his relationship with his father was complicated from the start. His father wasn’t around much when he was young, and when he was, things weren’t easy. “I had a very complicated relationship with my old man. He left when I was young, but he was a good guy. I always liked him. He just had a lot of stuff he didn’t know how to work out.”
He explained that his father struggled with alcohol and emotions, and that men from that generation didn’t know how to talk about feelings or trauma. “That generation, they just worked until they died. There was no mental health back then.”
Even with all that distance, Johnson believes his father was always proud of him. He just didn’t know how to show it. “He followed me quietly. He was never calling me all the time. Very old school. But he was proud.”
Later in life, the two reconnected and spent about ten good years repairing their relationship. Johnson said those years meant everything to him. “We had a really nice 10 years together. We hadn’t worked everything out, but we had made our peace.”
That’s what made his father’s sudden death in 2020 even harder. Johnson said there was no chance to say goodbye. “He passed away suddenly, and I never got to say goodbye. He called me and I didn’t take the call. I was at my kid’s game, multitasking, dealing with work. A day or two later, he was gone.”
He said that regret never fully goes away. “You’ll always regret that. But you can’t hold onto it forever. You’ve got to let it go.”
The Rock also revealed that they had a serious argument not long before his father died. “We got into a huge fight Christmas 2019. One of the biggest fights we ever had. About a month later, he passed away, and we weren’t talking.”
Despite everything, Johnson now believes his father loved him the only way he knew how. “My old man was loving me with all he had. Even if it was just a little, it was everything he had.”
Becoming a father himself helped The Rock understand his dad better. “I didn’t realize how angry I was at him until I had kids. That’s when I finally understood what it felt like.”
Johnson said something changed after his father passed away. Instead of feeling farther apart, he now feels closer to him. “When he passed, it felt like he went somewhere before me. I feel closer to him now than I ever did when he was alive.”
He made it clear that success didn’t fix the pain he carried. “You can have all the success in the world, but it doesn’t heal that kind of stuff.”
Looking back, The People’s Champion said he no longer feels anger toward his father. Instead, he feels understanding. “I’m not mad at him. I understand his limits now. He loved me the best way he knew how.”
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