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Dwayne Johnson clarifies why he called out Vin Diesel on Instagram: “I meant what I said”

By Megan Stone Oct 13, 2021 | 8:00 AM


Buda Mendes/LatinContent via Getty Images

(NOTE LANGUAGE) It’s been five years since Dwayne Johnson sparked reports of a feud with Vin Diesel and, in a new interview, Johnson reflects on his now-infamous remarks.

While filming The Fate of the Furious in 2016, the actor took to Instagram and slammed his male co-stars who fail to “conduct themselves as stand-up men and true professionals” and dubbed them “candya****.”  

Though he deleted the post, the Jungle Cruise star told Variety he doesn’t regret expressing himself.

“I meant what I said,” he shared. “I mean what I say when I say it. But to express it publicly was not the right thing to do.”

“It wasn’t my best day… I shouldn’t have shared that,” Johnson continued. “Because at the end of the day, that goes against my DNA. I don’t share things like that. And I take care of that kind of bulls*** away from the public. They don’t need to know that. That’s why I say it wasn’t my best day.”

Johnson said there was a silver lining from the whole debacle and revealed that, while “it caused a firestorm,” it sparked a conversation on set because “every single crew member found their way to me and either quietly thanked me or sent me a note.”

It also resulted in a much-needed meeting with Diesel.  “I wouldn’t call it a peaceful meeting,” Johnson admitted.  “I would call it a meeting of clarity. He and I had a good chat in my trailer, and it was out of that chat that it really became just crystal clear that we are two separate ends of the spectrum. And agreed to leave it there.”

He also defined what a candya** is: A person who makes life harder for others because they are “completely full of s***.”

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