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'Hypocrite': Dwayne Johnson's transphobic past slammed after he dumps 'pal' Joe Rogan

Actor dubbed hypocrite after old videos resurface from wrestling days, and a tweet that was picked up by Donald Trump Jr

Actor and former wrestler Dwayne Johnson has done a u-turn on his support for Joe Rogan, but it is not without controversy. After 'The Rock' tweeted on February 4 that "I was not aware of his (Rogan's) N-word use," and called it a "learning moment", critics were quick to trawl through his own social media past and drag up old tweets, as well as few old videos. It led to allegations that The Rock was transphobic, especially over one particular tweet.

Johnson is the latest celebrity to insert himself in the Rogan controversy, and face severe backlash. Both Joni Mitchell and Neil Young were widely trolled for pulling their music from the streaming service. Then there was widespread outrage after Harry and Meghan got involved, writing an open letter to Spotify expressing their concerns. Now, Rogan's fans have taken it upon themselves to defend the podcaster, with the hashtag #Istandwithjoerogan trending as of February 6, 2022.

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Rogan's fans have also begun attacking Johnson, digging up some rather controversial old footage and tweets he made. It's got the attention of some rather high-profile conservatives, including Donald Trump Jr. and Caitlyn Jenner.

Old content resurfaces

At the center of the controversy is a 2011 tweet Johnson made to a woman. The woman called Johnson a "douche", responding to a video of The Rock from his wrestling days, where he put on a Chinese and Swedish accent. Hitting back, Johnson tweeted, "It's not our fault you're turning tranny tricks to put yourself thru nursing school." That video is reportedly from the WWE's 13th Annual Survivor Series in November 1999. 

Another old promotional video shows Johnson calling fellow wrestler John Cena a "bloated transvestite Wonder Woman." It's unclear when that promo was shot, but it certainly appears to be from his wrestling days. There's also a third undated video showing Johnson putting on a skit in a Scandinavian accent. To date, Johnson hasn't apologized for the comments or even acknowledged them, but he may now have to do so after they were resurfaced by angry social media users looking to attack him over his u-turn.

Initially, Johnson backed Rogan and tweeted "Great stuff here brother. Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you," in response to Rogan's video slamming allegations he was spreading Covid-19 misinformation. After condemnation, he said he was "not aware", a move which has not pleased Rogan's supporters.

Johnson dubbed 'a loser'

Leading the pack is Donald Trump Jr. "Wow, @TheRock, you can’t just try to quietly delete transphobic attacks without giving a groveling apology and expect to ever work in Hollywood again. Do @UnderArmour, @Ford, @Apple, @Netflix and the rest of his sponsors/partners agree with this hateful rhetoric?" he tweeted. Caitlyn Jenner responded to that with, "Hmmmm… the double standard is real. @TheRock I love you but cmon dude…let’s be real. Cancel culture has got to go. Use your platform. @DonaldJTrumpJr thanks for highlighting." Another user responded, "These bigoted tweets by @TheRock are bad and I don’t know how anyone can continue sponsoring such bigotry…"

"Lost all respect for @TheRock. What a loser," one person tweeted. Conservative commentator Benny Johnson noted, "An important reminder that this is was scripted. @TheRock
wrote this and delivered it to his adoring fans — I just hope none of them are Scandinavian or Chinese." Another person said, "Hey @TheRock you going after our bro @JoeRogan with blatantly politicised & transparent accusations of racism.. So tell us, how this is not RACIST?" One person posted, "Nothing that @joerogan has said comes close to the vile, racist, transphobic, hateful things @TheRock has said. What a complete joke!"

It appears that Johnson has since deleted the "turning tranny tricks" tweet, but screenshots of it are still widely available and circulating. The videos too are being extensively circulated, but so far The Rock hasn't responded to the mounting criticism.