Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is being called out by two fellow Hollywood stars for his recent comments about staying quiet on politics.
One of those people is George Takei, an entertainment legend best known for his portrayal of Hikaru Sulu on the original Star Trek series. He was joined in criticizing The Rock by Wil Wheaton, who starred on Star Trek: The Next Generation and in films such as Stand by Me.
Of Johnson’s retreat from commenting on politics, Wheaton called the WWE icon a “coward.”
The backlash towards Johnson stems from a recent interview he gave to Esquire. During the talk, he said that he’s learned “to keep my politics to myself,” before adding that “politics is omnipresent and it’s forever. I don’t like it. I hate it at times. I hate the slinging. I hate all the bullshit that comes with it.”
In the Esquire story, the topic of politics was broached when the reporter brought up Bruce Springsteen’s recent anti-Trump tour.
“When I hear you talk about Springsteen, who I love, and this idea that he’s speaking directly to Trump in his concerts, my first thought as you were telling me that, in my head, I went, ‘Oh, then why don’t they talk?’”Johnson said. “They should sit down and talk. I don’t know where that goes, but I do know that’s an important step.”
His current stance of not publicly discussing politics represents a reversal from 2020, when The Rock endorsed Joe Biden for president over Donald Trump. However, he later declined to publicly support either Trump or Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. During an interview with Fox News months before the last election, Johnson expressed regret for endorsing Biden.
“My goal is to bring this country together. I believe in that,” he said at the time. “There will be no endorsement. At this level of influence, I will keep my politics to myself. It is between me and the ballot box.”
Takei took note of Johnson’s recent remarks to Esquire in a message he posted on his Threads account.
“Silence is complicity,” Takei wrote on Monday of The Rock’s standpoint.
Wheaton replied to Takei’s post by writing: “So disappointing to find out he is such a coward.”
What do you think, Cagesiders? Do you side with The Rock in thinking it’s best for celebrities to not share their political beliefs? Do you think Takei and Wheaton were right to criticize him? Let us know in the comments.
