Several Hollywood celebrities have condemned Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for stating he will keep his personal political beliefs out of the public eye. Reacting to a recent Esquire interview in which Johnson said he’s gonna keep “my politics to myself,” Star Trek actors George Takei and Wil Wheaton criticized the former WWE wrestler for being “complicit.”
What Did Johnson Say?
Johnson is featured as part of Esquire’s cover story for its summer 2026 issue. In the interview, the “Jumanji” actor explained why he keeps his political views to himself. “What I have learned through experience is that I need to keep — need, not want — the main thing the main thing,” said Johnson, according to Fox News. “And the main thing for me, the thing that in the morning I swing my legs out of bed and I run towards, is creating. It’s art. It’s storytelling. I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself.”
Johnson said there may be instances in the future where he might take a stand or share an opinion, warning however, that politics is “forever.” “Politics is omnipresent and it’s forever,” he said. “I don’t like it. I hate it at times. I hate the slinging. I hate all the bulls*** that comes with it.”
‘Silence Is Complicity’
In a Monday post on Threads, Takei said Johnson’s “recent comments to Esquire about wanting to ‘keep my politics to myself’” have divided fans, with some calling out his silence. “Silence is complicity,” Takei added. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” actor Wheaton said in a now-deleted Threads post: “So disappointing to find out he is such a coward.”
Not everyone attacked Johnson, however. Comedian Matt Rife mocked Wheaton’s “coward” comment in a post on X. “I love how he’s a ‘coward’ but could quite literally tear Wil’s throat out through his a**hole,” Rife wrote on Wednesday. “This internet comment world is so bold.”
Johnson Has Talked Politics in the Past
The eight-time WWE champion has previously talked politics. Despite identifying as an Independent, Johnson endorsed former President Joe Biden during the 2020 election, per Fox News. In 2024, however, Johnson told the news outlet he wouldn’t be endorsing a presidential candidate. “The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was what I thought was the best decision for me at that time,” Johnson said, noting the division it caused “tears me up in my guts back then and now.”
“The takeaway after that months and months and months, I started to realize like, ‘Oh man, that caused an incredible amount of division in our country.’ So I realize now going into this election, I’m not going to do that. I wouldn’t do that because my goal is to bring our country together. I believe in that, in my DNA. So in the spirit of that, there’s going to be no endorsement,” Johnson continued. “Not that I’m afraid of it at all, but it’s just I realize that this level of influence — I’m going to keep my politics to myself, and I think it’s between me and the ballot box.”
