Vin Diesel has praised Dwayne Johnson’s performance in his new movie, The Smashing Machine, after the two squashed their long-running feud.
Diesel, 58, shared a throwback picture with his former Fast and the Furious franchise co-star on Instagram showing his support for Johnson, who played UFC legend Mark Kerr in the biopic.
“People don’t understand what it takes to uphold a global perception every single day,” Diesel captioned the post.
“I remember asking our global family who they’d love to see me work with, and a woman named Jan left a comment saying her dream was for me to collaborate with Dwayne. What followed became one of the most dynamic pairings in cinema, two strong personalities who pushed each other and created something unforgettable.”
He added, “When he stepped into Hobbs, he did it with full commitment and left an indelible mark on Universal’s character hall of fame.”
After speaking about his own friendship with Kerr, Diesel said of Johnson’s portrayal of the fighter: “Dwayne really did it… He brought us back in time and shined doing it.”
Diesel and Johnson’s public feud was launched during their time making the Fast and Furious franchise. The two actors reportedly did not get along on set, which led to Johnson furiously posting on Instagram about a co-star, whom he later confirmed to be Diesel, in August 2016.
“Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t,” Johnson raged at the time. “The ones that don’t are too chicken s*** to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses.
“When you watch this movie next April and it seems like I’m not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling — you’re right.”
Diesel said at the time that the tension came in response to the “tough love” he gave the actor while trying to get a great performance out of him, which made Johnson even more angry.
“I laughed and I laughed hard,” Johnson said about Diesel’s explanation at the time. “I think everyone had a laugh at that. And I’ll leave it at that. And that I’ve wished them well. I wish them well on Fast 9. And I wish them the best of luck on Fast 10 and Fast 11 and the rest of the Fast & Furious movies they do that will be without me.”
Johnson later said he regretted sharing the post, but would still not be returning to the franchise. He did not reprise the role of Hobbs in F9 in 2019, but fans were shocked to see him make a cameo in Fast X’s post-credits scene.
The former wrestler then announced his return to the franchise in 2023, saying that the war between the two actors had ended.
“Last summer Vin and I put all the past behind us,” Johnson wrote on X. “We’ll lead with brotherhood and resolve — and always take care of the franchise, characters & FANS that we love. I’ve built my career on an ‘Audience First’ mentality and that will always serve as my North Star.”
Despite the co-stars burying the hatchet for the sake of the 11th Fast and Furious movie’s future, the pair shared an awkward moment earlier this year when Diesel gave Johnson a shoutout at the 2025 Golden Globes and got an icy expression in return.
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