Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel's feud: Why the Fast and Furious stars fell out explained
9 January 2025, 15:47
Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel have been butting heads in public more than they have in the Fast & Furious franchise.
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It's been over eight years now since the first reports of behind-the-scenes aggro between Vin and Dwayne.
It was while the pair were filming 2017's The Fate of the Furious (that's Fast & Furious 8), that the two megastars were rumored to have fallen out several times.
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By summer 2023 it appeared that the pair had settled their differences, with Dwayne announcing his return.
But at the 2025 Golden Globes, Vin made it seem like things weren't so rosy after all with a simple "Hi Dwayne" while presenting an award. So, what's going on?
Here's a full look back at Dwayne and Vin's feud:
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August 2016: Dwayne Johnson hits out at certain actors
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson at "Spike's Rock the Troops" event in 2016. Picture: Getty On August 8th, 2016, during the filming of The Fate of the Furious, Dwayne Johnson made waves with a candid Instagram post (later deleted) that praised his female colleagues while taking aim at certain male costars without naming them specifically.
"There's no other franchise that gets my blood boiling more than this one," Johnson wrote. "My female costars are always amazing and I love'em. My male costars, however, are a different story. Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don't."
He continued with: "The ones that don't are too chicken s--- to do anything about it anyway. Candy a----. When you watch this movie next April and it seems like I'm not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling — you're right."
TMZ later reported that Johnson and Vin Diesel allegedly met privately to discuss their differences, though the outcome of this meeting remained unclear at the time.
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August 2016: Vin's people calls out Dwayne
According to a source who spoke to People during the production of The Fate of the Furious, tensions between Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Vin Diesel had been escalating for months prior to Johnson's public criticism.
"Vin has been having problems with The Rock because The Rock keeps showing up late for production," the insider revealed. "Sometimes he doesn't show up at all, and he's delaying the production."
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April 2017: Vin addresses the beef
Vin Diesel attends Universal Pictures "F9" World Premiere. Picture: Getty In a conversation with USA Today in April 2017, Vin Diesel tried to minimise reports of friction with Johnson, hinting at a much deeper connection between them.
"I don't think the world really realizes how close we are, in a weird way," he told the outlet. "I think some things may be blown out of proportion. I don't think that was his intention. I know he appreciates how much I work this franchise. In my house, he's Uncle Dwayne."
Diesel then portrayed himself as a guardian figure in Johnson's career, particularly within the franchise.
"I protect the franchise. I protect everybody including Dwayne. I protected Dwayne more than he'll ever know. And it doesn't matter. He doesn't have to know. But he appreciates it. He knows it," he said, adding, "Dwayne has only got one Vin in his life. Dwayne Johnson only has one big brother in this film world and that's me."
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July 2021: Dwayne quits the franchise
In a July 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson announced he would not be returning to the main franchise, confirming that The Fate of the Furious marked his final appearance.
"I've wished them well," he said. "I wish them well on Fast 9. And I wish them the best of luck on Fast 10* and Fast 11 and the rest of the Fast & Furious movies they do that will be without me."
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November 2021: Vin asks Dwayne to return (and Dwayne isn't impressed)
Vin Diesel posted on Instagram, begging Dwayne to rejoin the Fast & Furious franchise for its 10th film.
“My little brother Dwayne... the time has come,” Diesel wrote. “The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes... but the time has come."
Dwayne later responded to CNN, saying: "I was very surprised by Vin's recent post. This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly — and privately — that I would not be returning to the franchise.”
“I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return,” he said. “I privately spoke with my partners at Universal as well, all of whom were very supportive as they understand the problem.”
Johnson also described the post as "an example" of Diesel's "manipulation."
"I didn’t like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker’s death. Leave them out of it," he said. "We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding. My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible Fast & Furious franchise with gratitude and grace.”
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May 2023: Dwayne returns
After all that, Fast & Furious fans couldn't believe it when Dwayne returned as Luke Hobbs in a post-credits scene in 2023’s Fast X.
The moment - setting up future films - appeared to say that Johnson and Diesel's feud had finally come to an end.
Director Louis Leterrier apparently organised the “peace treaty” between the two stars.
“We sort of looked at each other from across the room and winked a few months back, saying, ‘We should work together.’ And then I had this idea and I presented it to the producers and the studio,” Leterrier told The Hollywood Reporter.
He continued: “And then we reached out to Dwayne and his team, and said, ‘Just come and watch the movie. You have to love the movie first.’ So, he came to see the movie and really loved it, and then we started talking. It was very smooth."
In June, Dwayne confirmed his return to the Fast & Furious franchise. "Yes, it is true. Hobbs is back," Johnson said on Instagram.
“Despite us having our differences, me and Vin, we’ve been like brothers for years, and despite our differences, when you lead with — number one, resolve — but also you think about the future and plans that are much bigger than ourselves.”
“Those bigger plans are the buildouts,” Johnson added. “They are the North Star.”
At the time, it was announced that Hobbs would be getting his own standalone film, which he will co-produce alongside franchise screenwriter Chris Morgan. The spinoff would connect the events of Fast X and 2025’s Fast X: Part II, the franchise’s 12th film.
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January 2025: Vin awkwardly calls out Dwayne
Vin Diesel gives The Rock playful shout-out at Golden Globes 2025 years after feud: ‘Hey, Dwayne’
When Vin Diesel took to the stage to present the award for film cinematic and box office achievement at the 2025 Golden Globes, he looked over to where Dwayne was sitting.
"Hi Dwayne..." he said, smiling, as Dwayne awkwardly looked on.
Vin later went to Instagram to share a throwback photo with his former co-star, writing: 'All love… Always…'
