Dwayne Johnson Says Vin Diesel Jokes ‘Play Great’ in His Movies But Don’t Come From Him

Dwayne Johnson addressed the recurring appearance of Vin Diesel jokes in his films, acknowledging that while they “play great” with audiences, he has nothing to do with them.   

“The jokes never end. People were asking me about that and they just find a way,” Johnson said on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show. “It’s interesting, these Vin Diesel jokes — which play great, by the way, to the audience, which is always a good thing, because it’s really all about them — but people think these jokes come from me and they actually don’t.”

Johnson explained that there’s no lack of people pitching him Diesel-based punchlines. “You’d be surprised with how many people come to me with, ‘I’ve got a great one! I’ve got another great Vin Diesel joke!’ I’m sure you do,” he continued. “It’s always funny.” 

According to Entertainment Weekly, his latest joke appears in the upcoming Netflix action-comedy film Red Notice, starring Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, where he quips about Diesel auditioning for a role in the musical Cats. 

In a Vanity Fair profile last month, Johnson said he and Diesel spoke recently about their checkered relationship, and came to some sort of understanding that they are on “two separate ends of the spectrum.” 

“Well, there was a meeting,” Johnson said, laughing. “I wouldn’t call it a peaceful meeting. I would call it a meeting of clarity. He and I had a good chat in my trailer, and it was out of that chat that it really became just crystal clear that we are two separate ends of the spectrum. And agreed to leave it there.” 

Johnson believes their differences exist in how they “approach the business of moviemaking in two very different ways.” The Jumanji star says he sees everyone, from the studio to cast and crew, as “equal partners,” and doesn’t think he and Diesel share that same philosophy.