Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson found himself awash with controversy after speaking out about the upcoming 2024 U.S. election.
Johnson - who fans will know for his work films like Fast Five and Black Adam - has enjoyed quite an exciting 2024.
The wrestler-turned-Hollywood-superstar reentered the ring for WWE, becoming the talk of the wrestling entertainment world. However, all that positive momentum has come to a halt thanks to recent comments from Johnson about U.S. politics.
Dwayne Johnson's Controversial 2024 Comments
While 2024 started well so far for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, he is the subject of some new controversy following a shocking TV appearance.
In an interview on Fox News, Johnson revealed he regretted endorsing President Joe Biden during the 2020 election and would not be putting his support behind any particular candidate in 2024.
Johnson called his 2020 Biden endorsement "the best decision for me at that time," but will not do the same for the current election cycle, as he believes it will only foster "division"
"The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one that I thought was the best decision for me at that time. I thought, 'I’m in this position where I have some influence and I felt it was my job then to exercise my influence and share: This is who I’m going to endorse.' I’m not going to do that. I was then, the most followed man in the world, and am today, and I appreciate that. But what that caused was something that tears me up in my guts, which is division. That got me. I didn’t realize that then. I just felt like there was a lot of unrest and I’d like things to calm down."
He continued "My goal is to bring this country together," so there "will be no endorsement:"
"The takeaway after that was it caused an incredible amount of division. I realize now going into this election, I will not do that. My goal is to bring this country together; I believe in that. 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. But I will tell you this: Like a lot of us out there, not trusting of all politicians, I do trust the American people and whoever they vote for - that is my president and who I will support 100 percent."
This comes as Johnson's popularity has reached a fever pitch. He continues to be one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood and recently made a triumphant return to the wrestling ring as a part of WWE.
Why Johnson's Fox New Comments Are a Big Deal
While, for some, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson removing himself from the 2024 election cycle will be celebrated, it is something worthy of conversation.
Johnson - like many celebrities - possesses a level of public influence that few in the world do. When he says something, people listen, for better or for worse.
After four years of a Donald Trump presidency in 2020, Johnson felt the need to have his voice heard on the subject of U.S. politics, throwing his support behind current President Joe Biden.
At the time, he tweeted, calling the 2020 election a "critical" one, and telling his devout fan base to get out to the polls:
"As a political independent & centrist, I’ve voted for both parties in the past. In this critical presidential election, I’m endorsing Joe Biden & Kamala Harris. Progress takes courage, humanity, empathy, strength, KINDNESS & RESPECT. We must ALL VOTE."
Now, however, he has chosen to remain silent, as President Biden dukes it out once again with former President Trump.
Johnson sitting on the fence, while likely being an attempt not to upset one part of his fanbase or the other, has its consequences. His saying, "I will keep my politics to myself," means there are fans out there who will do the same.
Conversing about politics and actively engaging in it is an important part of democracy.
However, in a world where voter turnout is dwindling (especially among younger demographics), it is comments like Johnson's that can prove detrimental to the entire process.
If he regrets endorsing the Biden/Harris ticket in 2020, that is okay, but he should still be offering the same level of support for the democratic process as a whole as he was back then.
The 2024 U.S. election takes place on November 5, 2024.
