Dwayne Johnson says a presidential run is off the table: 'Choosing parenting over presidency'
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Don't expect to see Dwayne Johnson's name on the ballot in the near future.
While a 2021 poll found that half of American voters would support his bid to get into the White House, the actor said a presidential run "is off the table" during an appearance on CBS Sunday Morning. The former wrestler is "a patriot to my core," yes, but at this time, he's choosing parenting over presidency.
"It's off the table. Yes, it is off the table," Johnson told correspondent Tracy Smith. "I will say this, 'cause it requires the B side to this: I love our country and everyone in it. And I also love being a daddy. And that's the most important thing to me, is being a daddy, number one, especially during this time, this critical time in my daughters' lives."
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Dwayne Johnson says a presidential run is off the table
The Black Adam star continued, "I know what it was like to be on the road and be so busy that I was absent for a lot of years when my first daughter's growing up in these critical age at this critical time in her life. And that's what the presidency will do," he continued. "So, my number one priority is my daughters."
Johnson shared the segment on Instagram over the weekend, revealing that he has been "approached by the most influential in politics on both sides of the aisle asking and supporting that I run for president" ahead of the 2024 presidential election. "It's a humbling, grateful and inspiring feeling to even have these conversations, as I'm not a politician nor have I ever aspired to be one," he captioned the post. "But I am a patriot to my core, love my country and everyone in it."
However, "being a father to my little girls is the most important thing in my life," the actor continued. "To raise 'em and always be there, during these critical years in their life. I know what it's like to not be there all the time as a father, because of an unrelenting work schedule. I won't let that happen ever again. Choosing parenting over presidency."
The actor is set to suit up as anti-hero Black Adam in the forthcoming superhero film (out Oct. 21), which will follow Johnson's titular DC Comics character as he gains superpowers after the death of his son, only to awaken in the modern world thousands of centuries after his imprisonment.
Johnson has long been vocal about his desire to play the role, and director Jaume Collet-Serra recently teased his performance as "a completely new" Johnson. "It's always cliché to say that someone was born to play a role, but in this case, it's true," Collet-Serra told EW. "The movie happened because of him. He's the energy and the push that got this movie made."
Warner Bros. Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam
"Even if it took him a long time to fulfill this dream of his, I think that it's been worth the wait," Collet-Serra continued, later adding of the film, "In a lot of movies, you have a good guy and a bad guy, and those lines are clearly defined. Here, they're not so clear. You like both sides, and you understand both sides, but it really puts it up to the audience to choose which side they agree with."
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
