ere’s What Dwayne Johnson Once Shared About Being Broke During Thanksgiving (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, wasn’t always living the Hobbs and Shaw life of fame and fortune. Once upon a time, he couldn’t even afford a Thanksgiving turkey. Yep, the man who now rakes in millions spent a holiday praying for a dinner invite, and it’s a story he still keeps close.
This throwback came straight from Johnson himself, who got reflective on Thanksgiving while filming in London. “Word to the bird,” he wrote, sharing a snapshot of his turkey feast in 2018. But the holiday had him thinking back 27 years to a tougher time when his family was “so piss broke, we couldn’t even afford to buy a turkey.”
It was Tampa, Florida, and teenage Dwayne wasn’t living the eyebrow-raising dream yet. “We were praying someone would invite us over for Thanksgiving,” he admitted. The universe answered that prayer when family friends called to wish them a happy holiday. Johnson and crew wasted no time. “‘HAPPY THANKSGIVING WE’LL BE RIGHT OVER TO CELEBRATE WITH YOU GUYS K BYE!!’” he wrote, reliving the hilariously awkward moment.
For Johnson, those lean years left a lasting mark. “Remembering sh— like this helps me live a better and more grateful life,” he explained. But in true Rock fashion, he wrapped it up with humor: “I’m quite sure I need therapy for this, but until then, tequila will be my loving & empathetic therapist.”
During the 2018 Thanksgiving, Dwayne Johnson was across the pond, but that didn’t stop the gratitude. He and his girlfriend, Lauren Hashian, whipped up a “big, sweet spread” and gave thanks for life’s blessings. The day wasn’t just about food—it included a special outing to see Hamilton for the first time.
Hashian, already a Hamilton superfan, took Johnson to the London production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece. And The Rock? Blown away. After the show, the pair went backstage to meet the cast. “Big shout to my brother Lin-Manuel Miranda for creating this whole thing and for inspiring me on yet another level,” Johnson wrote.
But let’s not forget the other Johnson family tradition: getting face-painted by his kids. A few days earlier, his 2-year-old daughter, Jasmine, turned him into her personal canvas. “Me: ‘Baby, come here and give daddy a kiss, he’s gotta go to work.’ Jazzy: ‘But daddy I have to paint your toes,’” Johnson recalled, reenacting their conversation. Spoiler alert: she won.
Johnson, now a proud dad of three daughters, knows the chaos comes with the territory. “As much as I tell her no, with my crazy busy life, this is the stuff I actually love,” he wrote, capturing the moment money can’t buy. From turkeyless Thanksgiving to tequila therapy and Hamilton backstage passes, Dwayne Johnson’s journey is the ultimate glow-up. But even with all the glitz, he’s still the guy who remembers what it felt like to hope for an invite, and that’s why fans love him.
