Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Kicks Off The Podcast! - What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast

1. 0:00 – 0:01

   Intro

   1. DJDwayne Johnson0:00

      [upbeat music]

2. 0:01 – 5:53

   Why Hard Conversations Have Become So Difficult

   1. DJDwayne Johnson0:01

      I learned so much from my dad. Work ethic-

   2. TNTrevor Noah0:04

      Yeah

   3. DJDwayne Johnson0:04

      ... discipline. But at the same time, I also know what it's like not to be hugged.

   4. TNTrevor Noah0:10

      Mm.

   5. DJDwayne Johnson0:11

      Now I turn to my daughters, and it's, "Oh, you wanna paint my face?"

   6. TNTrevor Noah0:14

      [laughs]

   7. DJDwayne Johnson0:15

      "Get the paint. How, what, how many colors do you wanna put on? Do you want this? You wanna do that? You wanna hit me in the balls? Okay, great."

   8. TNTrevor Noah0:21

      [laughs]

   9. DJDwayne Johnson0:21

      "I'm gonna close my eyes. I know it's coming." He grabbed a shovel, a big shovel, my dad did, and drew a line in the dirt and said, "If you cross that line, I'm gonna kill you." The drunk asshole crossed the line, he knocked him out. Cold as a block of ice.

   10. TNTrevor Noah0:35

       Wow. 43 or 46% of the country would love the idea of Dwayne Johnson running for president. I mean, it either means you are the paragon of what people would hope a leader would be, or it means things have gotten so bad-

   11. DJDwayne Johnson0:51

       [laughs]

   12. TNTrevor Noah0:52

       ... that they, like, "We need somebody who's gonna come in here and lay the smackdown on everybody."

   13. DJDwayne Johnson0:57

       [laughs] Yes.

   14. TNTrevor Noah0:57

       Do you know what I mean?

   15. DJDwayne Johnson0:58

       I do.

   16. TNTrevor Noah1:00

       If there's one thing I've always loved, it's having a spirited conversation. I've always loved how the words coming out of another person's mouth can change how the mush in your brain processes or sees the world that it's seen a certain way for such a long time. It feels like these days, though, we might be losing that ability, or it's become a little bit harder. You know, a few days ago, I was, I was at an event, and people were having really interesting and dynamic conversations, conversations about really difficult topics, men, women, young and old alike. And every few minutes, somebody would start their opinion with the phrase, "Now, I would never say this in public, but..." or, "I would never say this if I was being recorded, but..." And I found that fascinating. So many of us have opinions and ideas about the world that we live in, that we are either unable, unwilling, or too scared to share. And I thought to myself, if we cannot have conversations about difficult things, if the conversations themselves are now the difficult things, then what hope do we have of fixing the difficult things, you know? I, I almost think of it like a, like a minefield. One of the most dangerous places you can ever walk into is a minefield because you do not know where they are. You do not know when your l- last step may be. All you know is, at any moment, something could blow up. But the danger comes when you step into the minefield. Imagine if discussing how to navigate the minefield was as dangerous as the minefield itself. That's what I feel like we're living in now. And so in this podcast, on this episode, and with every single episode that follows, I hope to get into those conversations. Let's chat about the things that make us uncomfortable. Let's chat to the people who make us uncomfortable. Let's come to consensus. Let's walk away still fighting, but understanding each other a little bit more. But most importantly, let's have the conversation. [upbeat music] This is What Now? With Trevor Noah. When, when talking about conversations, I, I can't help but think of all the people I have conversations with, you know? The team I'm working with on this podcast, the team I worked with at The Daily Show, you know, Christiane when we're there. I remember, and I still have this with most of my friends, I remember a world where friends did not agree. I remember a world where married couples did not vote the same. Like now, it feels like people aren't allowed to be friends with somebody, or won't allow themselves to be friends with somebody who doesn't agree on even one topic. Just one topic. Literally one thing that you might disagree on, and that's the end now. It's like, "Nope, we cannot be friends." Whereas before, you would say, "We are friends, but ah, God, I hope they don't bring up that thing because they know we're gonna punch each other." Or be like, "I trust you and I love you, but your opinions on football, trash. Absolute trash. You know nothing about the game. Don't speak. I, I'm gonna fight with you." And we'd laugh about this, you know? Let me ask you this, and I mean, I know this because I argue with you, and you are my friend. But in your just completely private, non-professional connected life, do you have friends that you don't agree with?

   17. SPSpeaker4:47

       Oh, none of my friends agree with me.

   18. TNTrevor Noah4:49

       [laughs]

   19. SPSpeaker4:49

       My husband doesn't even agree with me. But I'm, I'm, because I'm an extremist, so.

   20. TNTrevor Noah4:53

       [laughs]

   21. SPSpeaker4:53

       But that's, like, the position I like to occupy. But the people in my circle, I know at their core they're good. And I think the issue that we have now is that people think a bad politic or a politic that is different from your own means that the other person is a bad person, which I don't think is true.

   22. TNTrevor Noah5:12

       Say, say more about that. What do you, what do you mean by that if you dig deeper?

   23. SPSpeaker5:14

       Because I, I know people in, who on paper have, like, great politics or what's considered acceptable progressive politics right now. But in practice, in real life, they're, like, shitty people.

   24. TNTrevor Noah5:26

       Hmm.

   25. SPSpeaker5:26

       Like, I speak all the time, I used to go to, like, these dinner parties in Brooklyn, and all of these, like, progressive men, right, vote in the right way and are very feminist. And there'd be women in the kitchen doing all the cooking.

   26. TNTrevor Noah5:38

       [laughs]

   27. SPSpeaker5:38

       Bring- these are white men, by the way.

   28. TNTrevor Noah5:40

       [laughs]

   29. SPSpeaker5:40

       Bring out the wine. Then when the cheese was done, women bring out the cheese. The women would cook. And then when it was all done, it'd be women who would, like, clear up. And these men are like, "We're feminist."

   30. TNTrevor Noah5:51

       [laughs]
3. 5:53 – 10:13

   Disagreeing with Friends and Online Hate

   1. TNTrevor Noah5:53

      One of my favorite interactions I, I ever had was when, when I first started on The Daily Show, um, I got I mean, thousands and thousands of, like, hate tweets. I mean, every single day. That's all Twitter was in my life, was just, "You're trash, you're trash, you're trash. You, you, you shouldn't be on the show." And there was one guy in particular, like, he, he was... It w- it was interesting. He was like, he was mean, but he was funny, and I, I, I always appreciate funny. I don't care how mean you are.

   2. SPSpeaker6:18

      [laughs]

   3. TNTrevor Noah6:18

      If you can be funny, I, I will separate the two and I go, "You know what? That was funny. I, I can, I can appreciate that." And this guy said something, and I DM'd him, and I said, "Hey, I'm really intrigued about why you hate me so much. You don't know me. You don't seem to have ever watched anything I've created. Why do you hate me this much?" And I will never forget, his next tweet to me was, "Oh, hey, man, oh..." It, like, literally, and he had exclamations every- he wr- he wrote, "Oh, dude, I don't even really hate you like that. I just thought it was funny to, to pile on and..." And then he s- and then he said something along the lines of, he said, "Look, and to be honest, I don't think you're gonna make it. I, I think you're gonna crash the show. But, uh, good luck to you, man. I wish you the best."

   4. SPSpeaker7:01

      [laughs]

   5. TNTrevor Noah7:01

      "And I actually think you're pretty funny." And then I responded to him and I said, "Wait, wait, wait. Wait, so you think I'm gonna crash and burn?" And he said, "Yes." And I said, "Okay, let's make a deal." I said, "If I last six months, promise me you'll watch the show for as long as I'm there." And he was like, "Oh, yeah, you're gonna lose this deal, but it's a deal." And I promise you now, from that day, like, every few months w- we would tweet each other, and it would be, like, a random DM and we'd say what's up. We'd talk to each other. And I was fascinated by how different this person was when I had an actual direct connection with them versus when it was this theoretical throwing of a stone at, like, a moving vehicle, as opposed to the... You know, it, that's what I always think of is, is, like, I go, um, th- a lot of the time I think the reason we are the way we are in traffic is because we aren't, like, with each other. It's a lot harder to do that and to be that level of asshole when it's, like, your body. You know? There's, there's this, there's this cage that separates you from the other person and you're like, "I will kill you. I will destroy you and your entire family." And I don't know if you've ever done this, like, like, you'll pull up and somebody pulls up next to you, and they're ready to kill you for everything you've done to them on the freeway. They're ready to murder you and your entire lineage, and you look them in the eye and you say, "Sorry," and their whole face... And they're like, "It does- it doesn't matter." You see them go, "Hey, I, you s-" And you s- And I, I wonder if, I wonder if that's what stops us from having these conversations, is that we're not actually having them with each other. We're having them with, like, a, like, a, it's like a swarm of locusts, where I'm sure each individual grasshopper isn't that bad. But when it's a swarm, it's pretty difficult to, to get, to get a word in, you know? Which brings me to my first guest, The Rock, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Here you have a human being who has, across the globe, been widely regarded as the friendliest, finest, you know, most loving people. He's, he's always trying to make fans smile. He's always trying to... You know, you've seen those videos of him. He'll pull up to, like, a Hollywood bus that's driving around the, the stars' homes, and he'll, he'll take selfies with everyone, and he'll... You know, he's, he's that guy. He's that guy. And yet even he put out a video recently talking about how negative the world has become in certain spaces. And I thought, "Man, if this is getting to The Rock's world, if even he's experiencing this, then surely there's something we need to figure out about what we're doing or, or how to have these conversations. Surely there's something we need to fix in a way." You know? And I, and I couldn't think of a better person to have that conversation with than an all-around nice guy who has only tried to make us smile. [upbeat music] He's walking in now, people. The man, the myth, the legend. Christiana, I will, uh, catch up with you after this.

   6. SPSpeaker9:54

      All right. Have fun.

   7. TNTrevor Noah9:54

      But, uh, say what's up to The Rock.

   8. DJDwayne Johnson9:55

      Hey, guys. Christiana.

   9. TNTrevor Noah9:57

      What's going on, sir?

   10. DJDwayne Johnson9:57

       How are you, my brother?

   11. TNTrevor Noah9:58

       Thank you for being here.

   12. DJDwayne Johnson9:59

       Good to see you.

   13. TNTrevor Noah9:59

       Appreciate it.

   14. DJDwayne Johnson9:59

       Thank you for having me.

   15. TNTrevor Noah10:00

       Please, please take a seat. Take a seat. All right. Welcome.

   16. DJDwayne Johnson10:03

       Here we are.

   17. TNTrevor Noah10:03

       [laughs] Um-

   18. DJDwayne Johnson10:05

       Congratulations, man, on your first show.

   19. TNTrevor Noah10:07

       Thank-

   20. DJDwayne Johnson10:07

       This is a big deal.

   21. TNTrevor Noah10:08

       No.

   22. DJDwayne Johnson10:08

       Thank you.

   23. TNTrevor Noah10:08

       Congratulations on getting The Rock. That's what you should congratulate me for.

   24. DJDwayne Johnson10:11

       [laughs]

   25. TNTrevor Noah10:12

       This is-

   26. DJDwayne Johnson10:12

       Congratulations on getting The Rock

4. 10:13 – 17:05

   Welcome, Work Ethic, and the Taualuga for His Mom

   1. TNTrevor Noah10:13

      ... this is... You are... Everyone says to people, "Oh, you're the hardest working. You're the hard- You do so mu- " I will put money on it. You are the hardest working person that I know in the industry right now. You are doing everything. You are everywhere. You are... Like, where did you come from right now?

   2. DJDwayne Johnson10:32

      The gym.

   3. TNTrevor Noah10:33

      Y- you see.

   4. DJDwayne Johnson10:33

      [laughs]

   5. TNTrevor Noah10:34

      What time do you start? 5:00 AM? Are you one of those?

   6. DJDwayne Johnson10:36

      Us- I, am I one of those? [laughs]

   7. TNTrevor Noah10:37

      Yeah. [laughs]

   8. DJDwayne Johnson10:40

      I, I like to get up early.

   9. TNTrevor Noah10:41

      Yeah.

   10. DJDwayne Johnson10:41

       I like to get up early, and that way hopefully I can get up before the babies get up.

   11. TNTrevor Noah10:44

       Okay.

   12. DJDwayne Johnson10:44

       And then I can get the workout part out of the way.

   13. TNTrevor Noah10:47

       I sa- I feel like I saw a video of you celebrating your mom's birthday.

   14. DJDwayne Johnson10:51

       75th.

   15. TNTrevor Noah10:51

       Congratulations to your mom.

   16. DJDwayne Johnson10:52

       Thank you very much.

   17. TNTrevor Noah10:53

       I feel like your mom has always been, uh, you know, like, your, your hero in many ways. You know, I've read many of the things you've, you've, you've, you've talked about her, and many of the things you've said about her. It's, it's, it's so beautiful to see how you celebrate her.

   18. DJDwayne Johnson11:06

       Mm-hmm.

   19. TNTrevor Noah11:06

       And, and watching that video, there were two things I was, I was particularly intrigued by. Number one, was there money flying from the sky?

   20. DJDwayne Johnson11:12

       [laughs]

   21. TNTrevor Noah11:12

       What was happening there?

   22. DJDwayne Johnson11:13

       We were making it rain.

   23. TNTrevor Noah11:14

       Yeah, what was happening?

   24. DJDwayne Johnson11:15

       Okay, so in our culture, um, I'm half Black and half Samoan.

   25. TNTrevor Noah11:18

       Right.

   26. DJDwayne Johnson11:19

       And on the Samoan side, in Polynesian culture, on the Samoan side in particular, there's a, there's a, there's a dance that we do at the end of events.

   27. TNTrevor Noah11:27

       Okay.

   28. DJDwayne Johnson11:27

       And it's called the Taualuga. And a woman will dance, and during this dance people will come up and they will throw money, and they'll start to celebrate and dance around her. And the throwing of the money is a, uh, a, a sign of reve- of reverence and respect. Um, and that's what that was. So when I go up there to dance, I have a lot of money. I just throw it up in the air. I m- I mean, maybe it was, like, 25 ones. [laughs]

   29. TNTrevor Noah11:56

       That is so... You- I always talk to my friends. I, I'm, you know, I'm from South Africa.

   30. DJDwayne Johnson12:00

       Yes.
5. 17:05 – 20:30

   Eviction and the Drive Toward Wrestling

   1. TNTrevor Noah17:05

      So let- let's, let's talk a little bit about-

   2. DJDwayne Johnson17:07

      [clears throat]

   3. TNTrevor Noah17:07

      ... the formative years of The Rock, before The Rock, Dwayne Johnson. You talk about being in this world of pro wrestling. It seems like it was far from pro back then.

   4. DJDwayne Johnson17:16

      Right.

   5. TNTrevor Noah17:17

      Right? Your dad didn't want you to get into the sport. You, you, you, you had this, this yearning to become a part of this world. What do you think that was?

   6. DJDwayne Johnson17:27

      The yearning part of it?

   7. TNTrevor Noah17:27

      Yeah. Why did you wanna be part of wrestling? What was it about wrestling in particular?

   8. DJDwayne Johnson17:32

      Well, a few things. I think because I grew up in it.

   9. TNTrevor Noah17:35

      Mm-hmm.

   10. DJDwayne Johnson17:35

       And not only did I grow up in it, but man, I loved it. I loved wrestling. I loved the antics of it. I loved the characters of it. And especially at that time, you know, when you, you grew up in the '80s, wrestling back then, late '70s, '80s, was a whole different, I think, unique experience-

   11. TNTrevor Noah17:56

       Mm-hmm

   12. DJDwayne Johnson17:56

       ... in that a lot of people bought into it-

   13. TNTrevor Noah17:58

       Mm-hmm

   14. DJDwayne Johnson17:58

       ... and they felt like it was real, and they'd have these local stars every week, and they'd be on their television sets, just their local TVs, and they would talk down the lens about what they're gonna do to their opponent-

   15. TNTrevor Noah18:09

       [laughs]

   16. DJDwayne Johnson18:10

       ... this Saturday night at whatever little arena they're wrestling in. I loved all that. And I had a front row seat watching my dad and my grandfather and everybody in my family, um- Live their passions, and it's what they, I believe, we're all born to do.

   17. TNTrevor Noah18:28

       Wow.

   18. DJDwayne Johnson18:29

       And so I, I think the yearning of it, it started to happen for me when, to be honest, when we were evicted out of Hawaii. So we were living in a little apartment. We were evicted when I was 13 or 14 years old, and I remember in that moment, I never wanted to feel that again. I was with my mom, and we came-

   19. TNTrevor Noah18:51

       Yeah

   20. DJDwayne Johnson18:51

       ... home, and there was a padlock, or there was a notice, say you have a week to get out.

   21. TNTrevor Noah18:55

       And that was it.

   22. DJDwayne Johnson18:56

       And that was it. And I remember just her and I, and she was standing there. She was crying. She didn't know what to do, and, um, my dad was wrestling, uh, in Tennessee at that time. And I remember then thinking, "I never wanna experience this again, and what can I do to change it? What can I do? Like, what can I do with my own two hands?" Now I'm 14, um, so I can't do shit. [laughs]

   23. TNTrevor Noah19:16

       Right. That's a tough place to be in as a 14-year-old.

   24. DJDwayne Johnson19:18

       As a 14-year-old, right.

   25. TNTrevor Noah19:19

       Yeah.

   26. DJDwayne Johnson19:19

       So, um, I, I remember at that time thinking, "Well, all the heroes in my life are these guys. They're these guys who are, they're big, they're strong, they're pro wrestlers. Um, I, I should- if I bet you if I built my body and if I went to the gym, then I could change this scenario."

   27. TNTrevor Noah19:35

       Mm-hmm.

   28. DJDwayne Johnson19:36

       So from that moment, I think, that defining moment, now years later, I fell in love with the game of football.

   29. TNTrevor Noah19:43

       Right.

   30. DJDwayne Johnson19:43

       I loved playing football. My goals shifted to, "Well, maybe I got a shot to go to the NFL."
6. 20:30 – 28:51

   Backlash Over the People's Fund of Maui

   1. TNTrevor Noah20:30

      One of the things I find fascinating about you as a person is how you engage, how you choose to engage with internal doubts and external doubts-

   2. DJDwayne Johnson20:39

      Sure

   3. TNTrevor Noah20:39

      ... which I think w- as humans, we, we face. I saw a video of yours on, on Instagram. You're in the gym, and you were answering a question.

   4. DJDwayne Johnson20:47

      Mm-hmm.

   5. TNTrevor Noah20:48

      And, and the, it was a great question, you know? Someone saying to you, "How do you deal with the criticism," you know, "and, and how do you filter the criticism that you receive in your life?"

   6. DJDwayne Johnson20:55

      That's right.

   7. TNTrevor Noah20:56

      What, what, what I was intrigued by was who the criticism came to, and I'll, I'll tell you why.

   8. DJDwayne Johnson21:05

      Mm.

   9. TNTrevor Noah21:05

      I'll tell you why. You are somebody who has, for a very long time, created content that aims to entertain, uplift, you know, in some way inspire. You, you've done that. We've seen you, whether it's your music, whether it's-

   10. DJDwayne Johnson21:21

       Yeah. [laughs]

   11. TNTrevor Noah21:21

       ... um, you know, it's like you, you like making people feel good. You like bringing that light into the world.

   12. DJDwayne Johnson21:26

       I really do.

   13. TNTrevor Noah21:27

       Yeah.

   14. DJDwayne Johnson21:27

       Yeah.

   15. TNTrevor Noah21:28

       And I, over the past few weeks, have been thinking to myself, "Man, we're living in a world where it, it's become harder and harder for anyone to exist or to do anything, even with a good intention, and not find some sort of criticism at the end of that." And I feel like you're the paragon of that. You, here you have Dwayne Johnson, and it's funny, I was, I was chatting to Oprah about this a few days ago.

   16. DJDwayne Johnson21:49

       Mm.

   17. TNTrevor Noah21:49

       You know, the fires in Maui.

   18. DJDwayne Johnson21:51

       Mm-hmm.

   19. TNTrevor Noah21:52

       Fires happen, some of the most devastating fires in American history. Immediately, Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, and Oprah come together and say, "Hey, we're gonna, we're gonna help. We're gonna put our money into a fund, and we're asking everyone to join us. Just do what we're doing in any way you can, and let's make a change."

   20. DJDwayne Johnson22:10

       The greatest sense of empowerment is being able to have some control when everything seems so out of control, and we're calling it The People's Fund of Maui because every dollar that you send is going to go into an account that goes directly to the people.

   21. DJDwayne Johnson22:27

       Oprah and The Rock are giving $10 million to get the fund started, and they're calling for others to make donations.

   22. TNTrevor Noah22:32

       And I mean, you saw what happened. Overnight-

   23. DJDwayne Johnson22:34

       [laughs]

   24. TNTrevor Noah22:35

       ... I, I thought I'd missed something.

   25. DJDwayne Johnson22:36

       [laughs] Yeah, sure.

   26. TNTrevor Noah22:38

       I, I'm, I'm, I don't know if this, I don't know, what was it like from, from your perspective? 'Cause I thought I'd missed something. I saw the initial call, and I went, "Wow, okay, cool. We're all doing something. We're trying to do something." And then, you know when you feel like you've missed a news cycle?

   27. DJDwayne Johnson22:49

       Yeah.

   28. TNTrevor Noah22:50

       Like, oh, The Rock and Oprah and the fires. Like, but for what?

   29. DJDwayne Johnson22:53

       Yeah. [laughs] Yeah.

   30. TNTrevor Noah22:55

       And people were like, "Oh, you're the problem" and, "How dare you?" and, "Why would you?" And I was like, man, our whole lives people have asked people to join into a worthy cause.
7. 28:51 – 33:43

   The Presidential Poll and Staying Out of Politics

   1. TNTrevor Noah28:51

      And so w- I, I, I look at your life, and here's, here's, here's a thing that, that, that, that always struck me was you live in a country that is so divided. You live in a country where people fight about everything. And then this poll came out and it said 43 or 46% of the country would love the idea of Dwayne Johnson running for president. And I remember seeing that and I was like, damn. I mean, it either means you are the paragon of what people would hope a leader would be, or it means things have gotten so bad-

   2. DJDwayne Johnson29:24

      [laughs]

   3. TNTrevor Noah29:25

      ... that they're like, "We need somebody who's gonna come in here and lay the smackdown on everybody." [laughs]

   4. DJDwayne Johnson29:30

      Yes.

   5. TNTrevor Noah29:30

      Do you know what I mean?

   6. DJDwayne Johnson29:31

      I do.

   7. TNTrevor Noah29:32

      So l- l- let's talk through two things.

   8. DJDwayne Johnson29:34

      Uh-huh.

   9. TNTrevor Noah29:34

      The one is your response was interesting. You said, "If people, if that was something that people wanted me to do, I would consider it or, or I would do it." Tell me why you said that o- or what you would hope to achieve in that world, and, and then also tell me how you see politics, 'cause you have an interesting view. Not the pol- not political parties, but just, like, the way humans interact with each other.

   10. DJDwayne Johnson29:57

       Sure. Um, well, a, a, a few things. I just wanna go back for a second 'cause you said something about, um, and at least this was my interpretation of what you said about, you know, we could screw up, we fuck up at, at ti-

   11. TNTrevor Noah30:07

       Yeah

   12. DJDwayne Johnson30:07

       ... and that's just life.

   13. TNTrevor Noah30:08

       Yeah.

   14. DJDwayne Johnson30:08

       Um, but we learn from it, and I try not to make those mistakes again.

   15. TNTrevor Noah30:12

       Yeah.

   16. DJDwayne Johnson30:12

       But I also do my best these days, Trevor, and this has taken years, by the way, um, to not let ego, judgment, um, or early anticipation shape my ability to receive- What is happening

   17. TNTrevor Noah30:33

       Whoof

   18. DJDwayne Johnson30:34

       Okay

   19. TNTrevor Noah30:34

       That's not easy

   20. DJDwayne Johnson30:35

       No, man. It, it's, it's-

   21. TNTrevor Noah30:36

       Yeah, that's not easy

   22. DJDwayne Johnson30:37

       ... not easy. And so many times in the past it has stifled either my growth or-

   23. TNTrevor Noah30:42

       Mm-hmm

   24. DJDwayne Johnson30:42

       ... my ability to see something and go, "You know what? I never looked at it like that. Thank you for bringing that up." It's gonna help shape me as I walk forward.

   25. TNTrevor Noah30:51

       Hmm.

   26. DJDwayne Johnson30:51

       So, uh, and I just wanna touch on that, 'cause I think it's important, and I know, uh, the majority of people out there, we want to be better.

   27. TNTrevor Noah30:59

       I do. I, I agree.

   28. DJDwayne Johnson31:00

       Right? We wanna be better.

   29. TNTrevor Noah31:01

       We wanna be good.

   30. DJDwayne Johnson31:01

       We, we wanna be good. We wanna learn from our mistakes. Um, so th- that was an interesting poll [laughs] that happened, and I was really moved by that, and I was really, uh, blown away, and I was, I was really honored. I was, um... I'll sh- I'll just, I'll share this little bit with you. At the beginning of the year, uh, at the end of the year rather, in 2022, I got a visit from the parties-
8. 33:43 – 38:06

   Being a Girl Dad and the Story of His Father

   1. TNTrevor Noah33:43

      I think what I, what I appreciate most about it is that I think you have, in many major ways, changed the way people perceive what it means to be a dad.

   2. DJDwayne Johnson33:54

      Hmm.

   3. TNTrevor Noah33:54

      And I think it's beautiful. You know, for so long a dad was considered a strong man, didn't cry, and you, you know, you stiff upper lip. "Come on. Shut up, kids. Come on, keep moving."

   4. DJDwayne Johnson34:04

      Yeah.

   5. TNTrevor Noah34:05

      And then here comes what many would consider, you know, the definition of manhood, and you have your, your little girls painting your face-

   6. DJDwayne Johnson34:15

      [laughs]

   7. TNTrevor Noah34:16

      ... painting your nails.

   8. DJDwayne Johnson34:17

      Yeah, man.

   9. TNTrevor Noah34:17

      You're wearing tutus playing with them. You are fully in their world. You are a proud girl dad, and you are raising these girls into women and, and you, you see it in your eyes. How do you think they've shaped your perception of masculinity? How do you think they've shaped how you wanna be a man, and, and, and what are you consciously trying to think of for their perception of men as they grow up?

   10. DJDwayne Johnson34:42

       Well, you just said it. I mean, that's it. Uh, let's start with the last thing you said, because it's the anchoring thing, Trev. It is I am their model of what a man will be. I'm their first-

   11. TNTrevor Noah34:53

       Uh-huh

   12. DJDwayne Johnson34:53

       ... man in their life. So I take that, uh, with all the DNA that I got in my body, and I take that not only so serious, but I also, I wanna be that example for them. Now let me just take you back for a second. The man who raised me, who was my dad, was my dad, Rocky Johnson.

   13. TNTrevor Noah35:11

       Right.

   14. DJDwayne Johnson35:11

       His dad died when he was 13. Th- those holiday, the holidays that came up after his dad's death, a new boyfriend was in, in picture. Boyfriend gets drunk, pisses on the turkey. My dad's 13. Uh, he grabbed a shovel, a big shovel, my dad did, and drew a line in the dirt and said, "If you cross that line, I'm gonna kill you." The drunk asshole crossed the line. He knocked him out cold as a block of ice.

   15. TNTrevor Noah35:37

       Your dad knocked him out.

   16. DJDwayne Johnson35:38

       My dad knocked him out with a shovel and tried to kill him.

   17. TNTrevor Noah35:41

       Wow.

   18. DJDwayne Johnson35:41

       13. Uh, they're dirt poor. They live in Amherst at, uh, Nova Scotia. The cops come, and the cops say, "Well, he's still unconscious, but he's not dead. When he wakes up, one of two things is gonna happen: he's gonna kill your son, or your son is gonna kill him." So the cops' recommendation to my dad's mom was one of them has to go. You know where I'm going with this now.

   19. TNTrevor Noah36:07

       Jeez.

   20. DJDwayne Johnson36:08

       She looked at her son, my dad, his name was Wade, uh, and said, "You have to go." So at 13 he's out on the streets. Now the reason why I tell you that story is that's my dad's capacity for love.

   21. TNTrevor Noah36:23

       Hmm.

   22. DJDwayne Johnson36:23

       13, you're gone. So that's the man that raised me.

   23. TNTrevor Noah36:28

       Hmm.

   24. DJDwayne Johnson36:28

       So that's the stiff upper lip.

   25. TNTrevor Noah36:30

       Right.

   26. DJDwayne Johnson36:31

       Come on. Work through it. You'll be good.

   27. TNTrevor Noah36:33

       Right.

   28. DJDwayne Johnson36:33

       Get up. I'm getting up. You're getting up. We're going to the gym. I'm five. I can't go to the gym. He, "You're going to the gym. You sit in the corner. You watch." And that's [laughs] was how I grew up. "You're coming with me to the wrestling matches." It was always rough, it was tough, but his- that's his version of love. Okay, so now years later, when I have the blessing to become a dad-

   29. TNTrevor Noah36:54

       Mm-hmm

   30. DJDwayne Johnson36:55

       ... and to these three beautiful daughters, man, I learned so much from my dad on work ethic-
9. 38:06 – 44:49

   Speaking Openly About Depression

   1. TNTrevor Noah38:06

      I feel like for many young men out there, you have become a guiding light that moves them in a certain direction. You know, there's no denying that many young men in the world right now feel lost.

   2. DJDwayne Johnson38:18

      Yes.

   3. TNTrevor Noah38:18

      You know? And I think, personally, I think it's because a lot of young men grew up in a world where they were just told the world would give them what it's supposed to give them, and it would be the way it's supposed to be. And, and now that it isn't, they don't know how to exist within that. You know, they go, "Are women replacing us?" Or, "Are we still allowed to be men?" And it can be confusing with some of the messages that people get. It, it's noisy.

   4. DJDwayne Johnson38:39

      Mm-hmm.

   5. TNTrevor Noah38:39

      It's noisy. And I think somebody like you exists in a space where you inspire these young men in a really powerful and particular way, you know, 'cause it's not just with, with your daughters. You, you, you're so open about challenges. One of those is, is depression.

   6. DJDwayne Johnson38:52

      Yeah.

   7. TNTrevor Noah38:52

      There was a time in the industry, there was a time in the world, a man couldn't come out and say, "Hey, man, I'm, I'm struggling with depression here, and this is a moment in my life that was tough."

   8. DJDwayne Johnson39:03

      No.

   9. TNTrevor Noah39:04

      You couldn't be an action star and say you had anything wrong in your world-

   10. DJDwayne Johnson39:07

       No, no

   11. TNTrevor Noah39:07

       ... and still be the top grossing action star in the world. That, I feel like, is one of-

   12. DJDwayne Johnson39:13

       And best, best looking, too, as well. I mean-

   13. TNTrevor Noah39:14

       I mean, of c- I mean, this is-

   14. DJDwayne Johnson39:15

       Yeah

   15. TNTrevor Noah39:15

       ... of course.

   16. DJDwayne Johnson39:16

       Just-

   17. TNTrevor Noah39:16

       I, I, forgive me, we'll edit that in

   18. DJDwayne Johnson39:18

       ... keep it in the tone.

   19. TNTrevor Noah39:18

       And of course, and the best looking.

   20. DJDwayne Johnson39:19

       [laughs]

   21. TNTrevor Noah39:20

       Let's make sure we throw that in, "and the best looking."

   22. DJDwayne Johnson39:21

       [laughs]

   23. TNTrevor Noah39:22

       But, but like you, that's, that's probably one of my favorite villains you've fought against and, and, and beaten, is the stigma against speaking about the struggle that you may have in your mind.

   24. DJDwayne Johnson39:35

       Mm.

   25. TNTrevor Noah39:37

       W- when you spoke about that, when you revealed that, was there a part of you that was afraid of revealing this?

   26. DJDwayne Johnson39:43

       Didn't even think about it.

   27. TNTrevor Noah39:45

       Hmm.

   28. DJDwayne Johnson39:45

       Didn't even look at it that way. I didn't think, "Well, I don't know, maybe I shouldn't. Maybe there's a reputation I should uphold." Big, strong men, strong men, um, it's that culture. How is it gonna be received? I didn't really think about it. I just remember, I don't remember exactly when, uh, but I remember s- being in an interview or something, and then just start, I started talking about it. And I realized as I was saying it, and I certainly realized it after the feedback I got, and this was probably years ago, of how much it helped, how much it helped guys-

   29. TNTrevor Noah40:22

       Hmm

   30. DJDwayne Johnson40:22

       ... how much it helped men, how much it helped people. So I, you know, I... But also, Trevor, I, I went through bouts of depression not knowing what I was going through.
10. 44:49 – 48:58

    Divorce and Building a Business with His Ex-Wife

    1. TNTrevor Noah44:49

       Again, I would love to understand how you did this and, and what you can teach us about your experience. Many people will experience divorce. You know, again, it's, it's something that's shrouded in shame. Nobody wants to happen. They stay in marriages forever, even when they can't or shouldn't. You got divorced, but your divorce is really unique in that your ex-wife is-

    2. DJDwayne Johnson45:14

       My business partner

    3. TNTrevor Noah45:15

       ... your business partner.

    4. DJDwayne Johnson45:16

       Yes.

    5. TNTrevor Noah45:16

       Your ex-wife is the person who's helped you turn The Rock from an individual into an idea that spans the globe. Dwayne Johnson is everything from tequila to, you know, workout apparel with Under Armour to wrestling and movies and music and w-

    6. DJDwayne Johnson45:32

       Sexiest Man Alive. Oh.

    7. TNTrevor Noah45:34

       Sexiest Man Alive, of course, of cou- I g-

    8. DJDwayne Johnson45:35

       Oh.

    9. TNTrevor Noah45:35

       We'll, we'll throw more of these in. I apologize. Sexiest Man Alive.

    10. DJDwayne Johnson45:38

        [laughs]

    11. TNTrevor Noah45:39

        Um, but I, but I'd love to know on, on a n- on a relationship level-

    12. DJDwayne Johnson45:43

        Mm

    13. TNTrevor Noah45:43

        ... how are you able to be in a divorce with somebody, and I, and I ask this for everyone who's in any relationship-

    14. DJDwayne Johnson45:50

        Sure

    15. TNTrevor Noah45:50

        ... and then still find a way to love and respect them enough to move forward? 'Cause I'm sure the divorce was hard.

    16. DJDwayne Johnson45:55

        Yes.

    17. TNTrevor Noah45:55

        What did you learn that enabled you to work with your ex-wife to achieve everything that you've done and still do today?

    18. DJDwayne Johnson46:01

        I learned exactly that, what you just said, that we can still make it all happen. We just have to be unattached to how we get there, and let's also be unattached to what the original goal was. Now, the original goal wasn't divorce, and divorce was fucking hard, man. And especially at that age for me, I was getting a divorce. I transitioned out of wrestling, and when I left wrestling, I was on top. I was very lucky and fortunate. I was on top, main event, and I thought, "If I... But I wanna expand. I wanna grow."

    19. TNTrevor Noah46:30

        Yeah.

    20. DJDwayne Johnson46:30

        "And I wanna bring wrestling with me." Um, and then I thought, "God, is this the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life?" Like, I... And so there was that, and going through a divorce at the same time. Uh, our daughter at that time maybe was three, four years old. Who's gonna r- be raising her along with me?

    21. TNTrevor Noah46:49

        Mm. Mm.

    22. DJDwayne Johnson46:50

        There's another man. Eventually, I'm sure she will meet another man. Like, there was all that shit that was going on in my head. Um, what I realized was with Dany, my ex-wife, who is now my business partner, we're great friends and, um, and is a force unto herself-

    23. TNTrevor Noah47:07

        She really is

    24. DJDwayne Johnson47:07

        ... by the way. She really is extremely, uh, proud of everything that she's accomplished, um, is we realized early once we kinda got through the, "Okay, we're gonna get a divorce. This is real. This is happening. It's not what we signed up for," you know, is there a version of this as we move forward where we started to build this business together, can we continue to build this business together?

    25. TNTrevor Noah47:34

        Hmm.

    26. DJDwayne Johnson47:35

        Is that possible? Are we fucking crazy? And the thought was, well, let's look at the dyna- the dynamic here. We have a beautiful daughter. We have an opportunity now to show her a way, uh, post something not working out, post a relationship and marriage not working out, uh, but being an example for her of how you can work through something and resolve something.

    27. TNTrevor Noah47:58

        Mm-hmm.

    28. DJDwayne Johnson47:58

        And on the other side of it, it may not what you, may not be originally what you signed up for, but who knows? It could be better. And so we realized that, and then we went to work. And when I say we went to work, it is bringing in the experts-

    29. TNTrevor Noah48:13

        Right

    30. DJDwayne Johnson48:13

        ... who can help us. And I'm not talking about lawyers. [laughs]
11. 48:58 – 54:39

    Noah's First Night on Stage

    1. DJDwayne Johnson48:58

       I got a question for you, though.

    2. TNTrevor Noah48:59

       Yeah.

    3. DJDwayne Johnson49:00

       So there, there's a moment, I, I feel like it happens in all of our lives, where it's that seminal defining moment where you go, "This is why I was born."

    4. TNTrevor Noah49:10

       Hmm.

    5. DJDwayne Johnson49:12

       This thing right now. It, it... Now, I'm talking specifically about a passion-

    6. TNTrevor Noah49:15

       Yeah

    7. DJDwayne Johnson49:15

       ... and a thing. So tell me a little about... I heard this story, but I wanna confirm it with you, 'cause I think it's phenomenal, and I have something very similar-

    8. TNTrevor Noah49:23

       Yeah

    9. DJDwayne Johnson49:23

       ... which bonds us here, is... So you went to a show, and I'm assuming you were in, uh, Joburg.

    10. TNTrevor Noah49:29

        Yeah.

    11. DJDwayne Johnson49:30

        And you were there, and one of your buddies got up, and he started performing. And it might have been open mic or something like that.

    12. TNTrevor Noah49:35

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    13. DJDwayne Johnson49:35

        I don't know.

    14. TNTrevor Noah49:36

        Yeah, yeah.

    15. DJDwayne Johnson49:36

        And he didn't do that well.

    16. TNTrevor Noah49:37

        Right.

    17. DJDwayne Johnson49:37

        He might still be your buddy, so I don't wanna say he sucks. [laughs]

    18. TNTrevor Noah49:40

        [laughs]

    19. DJDwayne Johnson49:40

        'Cause he might be listening right now. [laughs] But he didn't do that well. And another one of your buddies looked at you and was like, "Hey, man."

    20. TNTrevor Noah49:47

        Right.

    21. DJDwayne Johnson49:47

        "You're funny. Why don't you get up there?" And you got up there-

    22. TNTrevor Noah49:50

        So it was, it was actually messier than that, but yeah, carry on

    23. DJDwayne Johnson49:53

        ... okay, and you got up there. I can't wait to hear the messy version then. But you got up there, and, and you moved the crowd.

    24. TNTrevor Noah49:59

        Yeah.

    25. DJDwayne Johnson50:00

        And there was something about that moment that made you go, "There could be something here."

    26. TNTrevor Noah50:04

        Mm-hmm.

    27. DJDwayne Johnson50:04

        Right? Tapped into a light and a voice-

    28. TNTrevor Noah50:06

        Yeah

    29. DJDwayne Johnson50:06

        ... behind your ribcage.

    30. TNTrevor Noah50:07

        Right.
12. 54:39 – 1:00:11

    Connection, Sending People Home Happy, and Building New Mountain

    1. TNTrevor Noah54:39

       And so I think that's what I love. That's why I'm having this conversation with you. That's why I wanna talk about things in the world, is because we, we, we've forgotten- That the same thing that connects us into the worst of each other can be used to connect us into the best of each other.

    2. DJDwayne Johnson54:51

       That's right.

    3. TNTrevor Noah54:52

       We can reach consensus, we can discover new ideas, we can learn.

    4. DJDwayne Johnson54:55

       Yes, yes.

    5. TNTrevor Noah54:55

       You know? You don't agree with your friends on everything, but they're still your friends. Your family, you fight with them, but you still love them.

    6. DJDwayne Johnson55:00

       Yes, man.

    7. TNTrevor Noah55:00

       You know? And so that's, that's literally, like, you know-

    8. DJDwayne Johnson55:03

       We, we can, we can learn, we can find resolve, we can be a good team. Yes

    9. TNTrevor Noah55:06

       ... and I don't know anybody who does it better than you, genuinely. You, you, you have a, you have a way of stringing it all together. You never left the wrestling fans behind. They still love you. They still respect you. You've never turned your back on it.

    10. DJDwayne Johnson55:18

        No, no.

    11. TNTrevor Noah55:18

        You know, you, you've always loved the fans of your movies, and the things that you do, you sport the same thing, the love that you show, you know, you know, whether it's XFL, whether it's NFL, you-

    12. DJDwayne Johnson55:27

        Yes

    13. TNTrevor Noah55:27

        ... you show that love and that passion. You have that, and that's, and you know-

    14. DJDwayne Johnson55:31

        Trev, I, I appreciate that. Look, I, I, I gotta thank you for telling me that story, by the way. I love that story.

    15. TNTrevor Noah55:35

        And you're the best-looking man on the planet.

    16. DJDwayne Johnson55:37

        The Sexiest Man Alive.

    17. TNTrevor Noah55:38

        I mean, this is-

    18. DJDwayne Johnson55:39

        I've been telling them [laughs]

    19. TNTrevor Noah55:39

        ... this is, come on. This is, this is something we have to acknowledge.

    20. DJDwayne Johnson55:42

        [laughs] We, we always have to acknowledge.

    21. TNTrevor Noah55:44

        [laughs]

    22. DJDwayne Johnson55:44

        I make my family acknowledge it every time they're... Everybody line up and tell me right now. Um, but I gotta say that thank you for telling me that story. I heard that sto- I heard a version of that story.

    23. TNTrevor Noah55:53

        Yeah, yeah.

    24. DJDwayne Johnson55:54

        This version is even better, but it actually goes deeper than what I expected to hear because this idea that we have this passion, and I always like to say one of our anchoring tenets in just any business that I do or-

    25. TNTrevor Noah56:10

        Yeah

    26. DJDwayne Johnson56:10

        ... anything that I do, I wanna send people home happy.

    27. TNTrevor Noah56:13

        Mm-hmm.

    28. DJDwayne Johnson56:13

        And I wanna make them happy, and it's just that simple, and I feel like if we're lucky enough to be in this position where we can influence a person or two, like me and like you, but this idea that, "Hey, come to us, and I'm gonna do all I can to make you feel good and send you home happy," what a blessing that is.

    29. TNTrevor Noah56:31

        It truly is.

    30. DJDwayne Johnson56:32

        Yeah.
13. 1:00:11 – 1:01:56

    Being the First Guest

    1. TNTrevor Noah1:00:11

       I thank you for your time. Thank you. You, you, you know what's great? You will always have been my first guest. You, you know what I love about the full circle of things?

    2. DJDwayne Johnson1:00:19

       Yeah.

    3. TNTrevor Noah1:00:19

       I'll, I'll leave you with this.

    4. DJDwayne Johnson1:00:20

       Tell me.

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:00:21

       The first guest I had on The Daily Show was Kevin Hart.

    6. DJDwayne Johnson1:00:24

       Wow.

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:00:25

       And the reason I always appreciate the firsts is because the firsts have to do something that most people are afraid to do, and that is trust in what they don't know. You come here, you, you don't know how this could go. You don't know how this would... And I, honestly, I appreciate that from you as a human being. I remember what happened with Kevin on The Daily Show. No one would be my first guest. People were terrified. They're like, "Who is this guy? We don't know what he is. We don't know what he stands for. South Africa, what is that even? Where is that? What part of Africa?" The south, we put it in the name for a reason, but people did not care.

    8. DJDwayne Johnson1:00:52

       Hmm.

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:00:53

       They were like, "We're not, we can't come." And I said, "Let's ask Kevin Hart." And they're like, "Oh, but Kevin Hart's a superstar." I said, "Let's just ask him."

    10. DJDwayne Johnson1:01:00

        Yeah.

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:01:00

        Kevin responded instantly. He said, "I'm in." He said, "I'm in." And I remember asking him, I said, I said, "Why?" And Kevin said, "Because I remember what it was like to be the person that nobody wanted to give a shot. I remember what it was like to be at the bottom of this ladder." And he said, "And if I can..." It's funny you say that, and I see why you guys get along so much. He said, "If I can be a part of building your ladder, sign me up." And so I'm glad that I now have what I consider one of the best pairings as both of my firsts.

    12. DJDwayne Johnson1:01:27

        Yeah.

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:01:27

        Thank you so much, brother.

    14. DJDwayne Johnson1:01:28

        Well, thank you, brother, for having me on, and congratulations on not only an incredible career, but also a groundbreaking one, too, as well.

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:01:35

        I appreciate it, man. Thank you so much.

    16. DJDwayne Johnson1:01:36

        Thank you, brother.

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:01:37

        All right, let's get you to the next billion dollars.

    18. DJDwayne Johnson1:01:38

        [laughs]

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:01:38

        I cost you some money here. [laughs]

    20. DJDwayne Johnson1:01:40

        [laughs] I owe you seven. [upbeat music]

Episode duration: 1:01:56