Jimmy Fallon’s prank left even Dwayne Johnson panicking about his mom: "I wanted to take..."
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is known for his larger-than-life personality, but even he was left speechless when Jimmy Fallon pulled a prank that made him question his own mother’s whereabouts. The hilarious yet heartwarming moment took place in ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,’ where Johnson and Fallon recalled an unforgettable New Year’s Eve prank involving none other than Ata Johnson, The Rock’s beloved mother. Fallon, who shares a special friendship with Ata, narrated the story to the audience, setting the stage for an epic prank that had The Rock momentarily stunned.
He recalled, “We have the best memory, one of my favorite New Year’s Eves ever…It was early, I was out to dinner with my wife, and we saw these beautiful women across from us. They’re waving, they say hi–. She comes over and she goes, ‘I just wanna say I’m a big fan, I want to take a picture, but I’m not gonna, my son will kill me.’ I go, ‘I don’t care about your son, take the picture.’ She goes, ‘No, no, I don’t want to do it, never mind. I just wanted to come and tell you I’m a fan, blah blah.” Intrigued by her hesitancy, Fallon pressed on, asking who her son was. To his delight, she responded, “My son’s Dwayne Johnson." This gave Fallon a golden chance to prank The Rock. He brewed a plan and asked Ata, "Get over here, we’re taking this picture. Not only are we taking this picture, but let’s pretend that we were out all night." He grabbed all the required things to make his prank look believable and asked Ata, "Send this to Dwayne at 12:10 or midnight or something and goes, ‘We’re partying with Jimmy Fallon and it’s awesome,’” as reported by Fandom Wire.
#FallonFlashback: @TheRock’s mom hijacks his interview! pic.twitter.com/yOICHT34hV
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) July 20, 2021
When the text landed on The Rock’s phone, he was completely confused. For a moment, he genuinely had no idea where his mother was or what she was up to on New Year’s Eve. The audience erupted in laughter as The Rock recalled his reaction, realizing that Fallon had once again pulled off a masterful prank. But that wasn’t the only time Ata stole the show on Fallon’s program. During a 2021 appearance on ‘The Tonight Show,’ Johnson’s mother delighted the audience by joining him with a ukulele. The conversation turned to her musical talents, and before The Rock could react, she was already playing her ukulele and singing a traditional Hawaiian song. Despite his initial embarrassment, The Rock quickly joined in.
If you’re lucky enough to have both your parents around - absorb them and be as present as you can. I lost my dad unexpectedly a few years back, and learned the lesson that you never know what’s around the corner.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) December 1, 2024
We pulled up to our Moana2 premiere in Hawaii and we heard the… pic.twitter.com/N8813N9Ede
The performance ended with a surprise song, "We love you, Jimmy / Oh, yes, we do / We love you, Jimmy / and that is true..." Fallon gushed, "You just stole the interview. You're unbelievable. You are a superstar!" The Rock later admitted that his mother’s bond with Fallon was something truly special, joking, "My mom ADORES @jimmyfallon like a son, so I thought she'd love to come on impromptu style and sing him a song w/ her ukulele. But after the first song finishes she says, 'We've got one more'.... to which I said, 'NO WE DON'T HAVE ONE MORE'. But she started strumming anyway..." as noted by Upworthy.
As per E! News, the duo’s fun-filled antics didn’t end there. Fallon and Johnson also surprised Universal Studios tourists in Orlando by photobombing them while wearing oversized mascot costumes. One emotional fan was moved to tears when he realized it was really The Rock and even showed a tattoo of Johnson on his leg.
