Dwayne Johnson has recently shared insights into the tumultuous marriage of his parents.

The 53-year-old Smashing Machine star was raised in the world of professional wrestling, being the son of the late wrestling legend Rocky Johnson and Ata Johnson. Ata is the daughter of Samoan-American wrestler Peter Maivia and wrestling promoter Lia Maivia.

In an interview with Variety released on January 4, Johnson reflected on his childhood experiences of frequently relocating across the United States due to his father’s wrestling career.

“My parents had a relationship that was both explosive and volatile,” he shared. “My father was a professional wrestler during an era that was akin to the Wild West. There were no lucrative contracts; it was about surviving from one paycheck to the next.”

Many celebrities, like Jennette McCurdy and Macaulay Culkin, have spoken about difficult times with their parents. In her memoir, I Am Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy candidly recounts the abuse she endured from her mother, Debra McCurdy. “There are times I imagine my mom would have apologized,” she revealed.

The professional wrestler turned actor added, “And my dad struggled with his addictions and focused on his career and himself, while my mom was at home, raising me. She had to give up her own dreams and support the man that she loves. All she wanted was to be seen, and she was never seen.”

“And I grew up watching that kind of decline in a relationship when a man battles his own demons. I watched their fights. I heard their fights, which is even worse,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s parents were wed from 1978 to 2003, when they divorced. Rocky died aged 75 of a pulmonary embolism in January 2020.

Johnson recently recalled his own fractured relationship with his father before Rocky’s death in a recent interview with Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden on the latter’s “Artist Friendly” podcast.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has laid the smackdown on the WWE and Hollywood for nearly 30 years. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Deal of the Day This […]

“We got into this huge fight Christmas 2019 … it was awful,” he said during a December 2025 episode of Madden’s podcast, per EWrestlingNews. “One of the biggest fights we ever got into about some just some stupid [stuff] … and then about a month later, he passed away. And we weren’t talking.”

The Jumanji star said his father tried to call him days before he died, but he didn’t take the call.

“He called me and I didn’t take the call … I was at my kid’s game. I thought, ‘I’ll call him back.’ And then like a day or two later, he’s gone,” he shared.

Johnson previously paid tribute to his father via Instagram when he died in January 2020.

Dwayne Johnson has regrets about not making things right with his late father, WWE wrestler Rocky “Soulman” Johnson, before his sudden death in 2020. The Black Adam actor, 51, took to Instagram on Friday, March 1, to share a throwback video of himself as a kid watching his dad raise a title belt in the […]

“I love you,” he wrote alongside a video of his father’s professional wrestling career highlights. “You broke color barriers, became a ring legend and trail blazed your way thru [sic] this world. I was the boy sitting in the seats, watching and adoring you, my hero from afar. The boy you raised to always be proud of our cultures and proud of who and what I am. The boy you raised with the toughest of love. The intense work. The hard hand. The adoring boy who wanted to know only your best qualities. Who then grew to become a man realizing you had other deep complex sides that needed to be held and understood. … That’s when my adoration turned to respect. And my empathy turned to gratitude.”

He added, “I’m in pain. But we both know it’s just pain and it’ll pass. Now I’ll carry your mana and work ethic with me, as it’s time to move on because I have my family to feed and work to accomplish. Finally, I want you to rest your trailblazing soul, Soulman. Pain-free, regret-free, satisfied and at ease. You lived a very full, very hard, barrier-breaking life and left it all in the ring. I love you dad and I’ll always be your proud and grateful son. Go rest high.”