Dwayne Johnson is an American wrestler, actor, and producer best known by his ring name “The Rock.” He was born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California, to professional wrestler, Rocky Johnson and his wife, Ata Johnson. His mother is Samoan while his father was a Black Nova Scotian with Irish ancestry. Johnson’s family has a long history of wrestling with his father, grandfather, and maternal grandmother embedded within the industry. So, it comes as no surprise that the aspiring wrestler would eventually join the ring.
Before he entered the world of wrestling, Johnson was a backup football player at the University of Miami. Unfortunately, he went undrafted in the 1995 NFL draft so his father got him a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now known as the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Johnson adopted the ring name “The Rock” and quickly gained fame during the “Attitude Era.” At the point of his retirement in 2019, he was a 10-time world champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, and the 2000 Royal Rumble winner.
Even before his retirement, Johnson already had a budding acting career with his leading roles in “The Mummy Returns” (2001) and “The Scorpion King” (2002). He also starred in plenty of family films including “The Game Plan” (2007), “Race to Witch Mountain” (2009), and “Tooth Fairy” (2010). Johnson explored other genres as well by snagging roles in “Hercules” (2014), “San Andreas” (2015), and “Rampage” (2018). Thanks to his outstanding performances in the “Fast & Furious” franchise and Disney’s “Moana,” Johnson was able to cement his status as an accomplished actor and gain mainstream fame.
The world of wrestling is an extremely masculine sport and oftentimes people may ridicule wrestlers by questioning their sexuality. Johnson is no exception to this and has faced his fair share of taunting. The allegations didn’t stop when he switched to acting, especially considering the certain roles that he took on. In today’s feature, we’ll answer one of the most burning questions of all: is the Rock gay? Let’s find out below.
VOTE: What is The Rock’s Sexuality?
The Rock’s Relationships
The WWE champion is surprisingly tight-lipped when it comes to his love affairs. Although he’s been linked to multiple women in the past, he has only been in two confirmed relationships. Johnson has been married twice and shares children with both of his wives. Here’s a timeline of the wrestler’s romances throughout the years.
The Rock and Dany Garcia (1990-2007)
In 1990, Johnson met his first wife, Dany Garcia, while they were both attending the University of Miami. The couple dated for almost a decade before they officially tied the knot in 1997. Four years later, they welcomed their only child together, Simone Johnson. She would later follow in her father’s footsteps and enter WWE as a professional wrestler.
Despite being together for years, the relationship wasn’t meant to be and the pair divorced in 2007. The couple issued a joint statement to PEOPLE which read:
While certain aspects of our relationship have changed, we are both vitally important to each other’s lives… We will continue to advance and manage our business interests, our philanthropic efforts and most importantly the raising of our child together, as a loving team. We’ve been fortunate enough to spend the last 17 years together as a couple and look forward to spending the rest our lives together as best friends and business partners.”
Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia to PEOPLE, 2007
Johnson and Garcia maintained an amicable relationship with their family and joint business ventures. In fact, Garcia has produced many of his films even post-divorce such as “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Baywatch.” She has also founded a wealth management firm which includes managing her ex-husband’s finances.
To this day, Johnson and Garcia are still seen together in important career and family events. The latter is also friendly with the wrestler’s second wife and has even worked with them on multiple occasions. In a 2012 interview with PEOPLE, Garcia opened up about her thoughts regarding their blended family.
He has a strong sense of family. We have that extra layer of trust that can only come from family. We are just a different family, and we keep adding new people.”
Dany Garcia to PEOPLE, 2012
The Rock and Lauren Hashian (2007-Present)
During his divorce from Garcia, Johnson met his second wife, Lauren Hashian, on the set of the film “The Game Plan.” However, the couple didn’t start dating until 2007. Although they kept their relationship under wraps, the wrestler was obviously smitten with his newfound love. In March 2013, after seven years of dating, Johnson and Hashian made their official red carpet debut for the premiere of “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.”
I was so fortunate to have fallen in love once. To fall in love again? That’s a hard thing to do twice in the position I’m in. I’m one lucky son of a b—-.”
Dwayne Johnson to PEOPLE, 2012
The couple have two children together, Jasmine Johnson and Tiana Johnson, born in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Shortly after their daughters were born, Johnson and Hashian finally got married in an intimate ceremony in Hawaii. During their first anniversary as a married couple, Hashian opened up about her love for the wrestler by releasing a heartfelt song.
‘Step into a Love Like This’ is the most personal and rewarding song I’ve ever written. Personal because every word is from my heart and rewarding because I had the honor of surprising the man I now call my husband with this song on the day we were married in Hawaii in front of our family, friends, and two beautiful daughters, Jazzy and Tia.”
Lauren Hashian via a press release, 2020
The Rock On “Playing Gay”
In August 2022, Johnson spoke about his early days in Hollywood. According to him, he was warned by a “few influential folks” that playing a gay character would “ruin” his career. This was in relation to Johnson taking on the role of an openly gay man named Eliot in the 2005 crime-comedy film, “Be Cool.” Fortunately, the wrestler responded by saying: “I said ‘hold my tequila and f**k off.’ Nicely of course.”
Is The Rock Gay?
No, the Rock is not gay. He has been married twice and has three children in total. He has never been linked to men despite playing an openly gay character. Johnson identifies as straight, loves his queer fans, and is a strong supporter of the LGBTQ community.
Featured Image: “The Rock”, by Henry Villarama, licensed under PDM 1.0 DEED