Dwayne Johnson is a family man through and through, and looked on proudly as his mini-me daughter, Simone, joined him on the red carpet for the premiere of The Smashing Machine in London. The film stars Dwayne as Mark Kerr, a legendary MMA fighter who struggled with substance abuse issues throughout his life. Simone, who followed in her family's footsteps and became a professional wrestler in 2020, was glowing as she walked by her dad's side, despite causing controversy in recent weeks over her comments on the death of Charlie Kirk.
The Rock looked dapper in a navy suit with a striped shirt, while Simone wore a strapless black gown with floral appliqués, adding a black choker necklace and a pink smoky eye to complete the look. The 24-year-old is Dwayne's eldest daughter, whom he welcomed in 2001 with his first wife, Dany Garcia.
The pair were married from 1997 to 2008, before he met and married his second wife, Lauren Hashian, in 2019. He also shares daughters Jasmine and Tiana with her. Simone signed a contract with WWE in 2020 and made her TV debut in 2022 as Ava Raine, the first wrestler in the competition to be a fourth-generation star, and the youngest signee in its history.
Her father was, of course, one of WWE's most famous wrestlers in the '90s and '00s, while her grandfather, Rocky Johnson, competed in the '80s, and her great-grandfather, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, was also a pro-wrestler. "It means the world to me," she said in a statement after signing with WWE. "To know that my family has such a personal connection to wrestling is really special to me, and I feel grateful to have the opportunity, not only to wrestle but to carry on that legacy."
Dwayne shared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that he couldn't have been prouder of his girl's achievement. "First of all, what an honor that my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps, but more importantly, follow in my footsteps sounds cliché, but she actually wants to create and blaze her own path, which is so important," he said.
© WireImageSimone's latest appearance comes just two weeks after she sparked backlash from WWE fans on X following her comment on the death of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing political commentator who was shot and killed at a university speaking event in Utah on September 10. She replied to a tweet that read: "If you want people to have kind words when you pass, you should say kind words when you're alive," adding, "And I'll stand behind this. Be kind, now more than ever."
© Jeff Spicer/WireImageMany people took this as a stance on Charlie's death, as he was known for his incendiary comments on race, women's rights and gun control. Under her tweet, one commenter wrote, "Be kind or get assassinated? What kind of message is that. No one can live up to that standard. Most people are hateful," while another chimed in, "You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I think your ignorance is glaring here."
© Getty ImagesOthers called on WWE to fire her for the comment, while some X users stood up to support her. "If only more in the company were brave to share their thoughts too," shared one fan, while another added, "Exactly."
