This is what started The Rock & Vin Diesel’s legendary feud
Universal PicturesAfter their strange acknowledgement during the 2025 Golden Globes, fans are revisiting the ongoing feud between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel – so, what’s the deal?
There are few action movie franchises as prolific as the Fast and Furious series. Aside from speed races and insane automobile stunts, one thing that’s become as iconic as the movies themselves is the on-screen duo of The Rock and Vin Diesel.
And even more so, their alleged decade-long feud. It all started with some cagey posts on social media, which then led to criticisms flying around between the two stars.
So, what actually happened, and why did Vin Diesel shout-out The Rock during the Globes? Here’s what you need to know.
Why do The Rock and Vin Diesel have a feud?
The alleged feud between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel goes all the way back to their early days in the Fast and Furious franchise, when the two reportedly started clashing heads over egos and conflicting work ethics.
The pair first appeared on-screen together in 2011. Diesel had already been in the Fast and Furious movie series from the beginning, whereas Johnson joined the team in the fifth movie, Fast Five.
Johnson would later return for the sixth, seventh, and eighth movies in the franchise. However, things seemed to turn sour in August 2016, when Johnson posted a now-deleted Instagram post, referring to unnamed members of the cast as “candy asses.”
Universal Pictures“Some [male costars] conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t,” Johnson said. “The ones that don’t are too chicken s—t to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses. 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.”
From there, a tense back-and-forth between the stars would take place over several years.
Diesel hits back after Johnson’s post
Fans quickly speculated that he had been referring to Diesel. Although details were never confirmed, insiders at the time claimed the two didn’t get along on set due to conflicting work ethics. Fuel was later added to the fire when Johnson posted on Instagram again, thanking a handful of his co-stars by name, but notably excluding Diesel.
Diesel also jumped into the fray in August 2016, posting a video and telling fans, “Honestly give me a second and I will tell you everything. Everything.”
Universal PicturesJohnson would later acknowledge the feud rumors head-on, saying in a November 2016 Los Angeles Times interview, “I’ve been in the game a long time. Would Universal have preferred that didn’t happen? Sure, we talked about it. The irony is after that and as they do their tracking and all their analysis, the interest shot through the roof to a whole other level.”
Diesel defends The Rock after backlash
Diesel would later refute claims of a feud altogether in an interview with USA Today, saying, “I don’t think the world really realizes how close we are, in a weird way. 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.”
The two were later spotted attending the Fate of the Furious premiere in 2017. In October of that year, Diesel also defended Johnson after co-star Tyrese Gibson accused Johnson of delaying F9, saying, “I know there has been a lot of speculation as to why the Fast 9 release date was pushed… but it would be unfair to say it is anyone’s fault.”
However, things became even more complicated when fans noted neither star appeared in shared scenes during Fate of the Furious. Johnson later confirmed that the two had not filmed any scenes together.
The two stars clear the air
The air seemingly cleared by 2019, when Johnson’s Fast and Furious spinoff, Hobbs & Shaw, hit theaters. He mentioned Diesel by name in an Instagram video, saying, “Lastly, but not least, want to thank brother Vin for your support of Hobbs & Shaw. I’ll be seeing you soon, Toretto.”
In October 2021, Johnson confessed that he hadn’t been experiencing his “best day” when he shared the original August 2016 post that seemingly kicked off the entire feud.
Universal Pictures“I shouldn’t have shared that,” he told Vanity Fair. “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 bullsh*t away from the public. They don’t need to know that. That’s why I say it wasn’t my best day.”
“I mean what I say when I say it,” he added. “But to express it publicly was not the right thing to do.”
Johnson then reprised the role of Hobbs in a post-credits scene in 2023’s Fast X, and has since said that he would be returning to the franchise in future movies.
2025 Golden Globes interaction explained
Speculation surrounding the Johnson-Diesel feud picked back up again after a strange interaction at the 2025 Golden Globes, in which Diesel acknowledged Johnson in the crowd while presenting an award.
While presenting the award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, Diesel walked out onto the stage and saw Johnson in the crowd.
“Hey, Dwayne,” he said. The camera cut to Johnson, who appeared to smile while the crowd laughed. Diesel quickly returned to his task of presenting the nominees, but the moment was clearly a pointed reference to the tensions between the two in the past.
The moment caught the attention of viewers, with many leaving comments on X such as, “Vin Diesel saying ‘Hey, Dwayne’ to The Rock. I thought some sh*t was gonna pop off,” and, “You can cut the tension between The Rock and Vin Diesel with a knife.”
“Tonight we got to see what The Rock looks like when he’s fantasizing about tearing Vin Diesel in half,” said another.
For more, find out everything we know about Fast and Furious 11. You can also find out why Vin Diesel refused to let this action legend star in Fast & Furious, and check out the Fast X soundtrack.