Dwayne Johnson opens up about ‘complicated relationship’ with his dad as he releases new Disney song
Dwayne Johnson opens up about ‘complicated relationship’ with his dad as he releases new Disney song
Leigh BlickleyWed, August 19, 2026 at 2:56 PM UTC
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Dwayne Johnson at D23: Legends on Aug. 16, 2026Credit: Kevin Mazur/GettyKey Points -
Dwayne Johnson opened up about his “complicated relationship” with his late father.
The actor spoke about his new song, “Your Dad,” and how his daughters inspired it.
His dad, Rocky Johnson, died in January 2020.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson got candid about his “complicated relationship” with his late father while discussing his new Disney song, “Your Dad.”
The touching track appears on Moana: Voices Across the Ocean, a 15-song album featuring 25 Pacific artists, and “was inspired by my three daughters, Simone, Jazzy and Tia,” Johnson wrote on Instagram Tuesday. (Johnson shares Simone with ex Dany Garcia, and Jasmine and Tiana with wife Lauren Hashian.)
“I don’t have a son, but I did have a dad once, and that was a very complex relationship that never reconciled before he died. That father-son relationship is a crucial one that can go either way,” he shared. “Even though this song is for my daughters, I can’t help but think of my dad a little every time I sing it. He never said these words to me, but maybe he felt these words at some point when I was a little kid.”
Dwayne expanded on his relationship with his father, former professional wrestler Rocky Johnson, in a conversation with Sirius XM’s Disney Hits.
“What you find is you work hard to—I don’t want to make my dad’s decisions, and those mistakes,” he continued. “I want to learn from those mistakes. But then you also realize, just as a dude, as a man, as you get older and you have kids of your own, it’s like, ‘Man, there are just some things in my dad’s DNA that I can’t escape.’ And you know what? Maybe that’s a good thing because he did teach me these things about hard work, and he raised me with a hard hand and a tough hand, and all these things.”
Dwayne noted that he’s not sure if his father ever felt the things he sings about in “Your Dad,” which includes the lyrics, “My whole life changed from the moment I held you / In my heart, I knew, that life would never be the same / It’d be filled with love and laughter, from now and forever after.”
He added, “My dad didn’t know how to say, ‘Hey, come here. I want you to know how much I love you. I love you, and I’m so proud of you.’ I never got that, you know?”
Dwayne has been candid about his tumultuous history with Rocky, who died at 75 in January 2020. Last year, he discussed his dad’s autobiography, Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story, which featured a foreword written by Rocky but falsely attributed to Dwayne without his knowledge.
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The Moana star told the New York Times Magazine that the rest of the book also featured similar misrepresentations of their father-son relationship.
“Growing up with my dad, I know the truth to all these stories. And they’re not in this book. If the truth is blue, this story is red,” he stated. “It just completely crossed the line. It goes back to the attention, and the narcissism.”
Dwayne Johnson and Rocky Johnson in 2015Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Getty
The actor does have a solid relationship with his mom, Ata Johnson, whom he discussed on SiriusXM with his wife, Hashian, who co-executive produced the Polynesian-inspired album with Dwayne, Tiana Nonosina Liufau, and Kayla Fa‘amaligi.
“This not being my culture, per se, it’s yours and my mother-in-law Ata’s, who lives with us most of the time, and our daughters’—so I do feel a huge responsibility,” Hashian noted of gathering artists and songs for the compilation.
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Dwayne chimed in with a “SiriusXM After Dark” comment, insisting to his wife, “You got this culture all up in your DNA.”
Moana: Voices Across the Ocean is available to stream.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
