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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Why did Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel clash, and are they friends now? The public record points to different approaches to filmmaking and collaboration, followed by years of public disagreement and, later, signs of rapprochement. Johnson’s 2016 post criticized unnamed male co-stars; it did not name Diesel. The timeline below separates the actors’ own statements from reporting and speculation about what happened privately.
How the feud unfolded
2011: Johnson joins the Fast franchise
Johnson first appeared as Luke Hobbs in Fast Five, beginning his on-screen partnership with Diesel in the franchise. The Week’s 2023 account traces the dispute’s public history from this collaboration.
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August 2016: An Instagram post draws attention
During the final week of filming The Fate of the Furious, Johnson posted a since-deleted Instagram message criticizing some unnamed male co-stars. He praised the women in the cast and said some of his male colleagues acted professionally while others did not. He did not identify Diesel in the post. News reports soon connected the criticism to Diesel, but that connection was reporting about the post, not a name Johnson used. ABC News later recounted the episode.
November 2016: Johnson stands by his comments
Johnson told the Los Angeles Times he was clear about what he had said, according to The Week’s timeline. The public record at this point established that he stood by the criticism; it did not establish every private cause behind it.
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April 2017: Diesel downplays the tension
Diesel told the Los Angeles Times that reports might have exaggerated the dispute and described Johnson affectionately. He said he had visited Johnson’s trailer to address the tension. “You can’t really feud with me too much if I’m hiring you, right?” he said. His account was his own framing, not a shared explanation of Johnson’s grievance. The Los Angeles Times reported Diesel’s comments.
2018: Johnson describes different working philosophies
Johnson gave the clearest explanation of his perspective in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying there was a “fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach moviemaking and collaborating,” as quoted by ABC News. He said they had spoken face-to-face. Contemporaneous interview reporting also said the two did not film their scenes together for The Fate of the Furious. That production detail is reported context; it does not, by itself, explain why they worked separately.
2019: Johnson is absent from F9
Johnson did not appear in F9, instead focusing on Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw with Jason Statham. He left open the possibility of future work in the franchise, according to The Week. His absence from that installment was clear, but it should not be treated as proof of a single private motive.
2021: The two publicly dispute Diesel’s account
In a Men’s Health interview, Diesel said he had used “tough love” to help Johnson’s performance. Johnson later laughed at that characterization in interviews and again described their filmmaking approaches as different, as The Week reported. Their comments show that they did not publicly describe the working relationship in the same way.
November–December 2021: Diesel appeals for Johnson to return; Johnson declines
Diesel publicly urged Johnson to return for Fast X, invoking his children’s affection for Johnson and the late Paul Walker. Johnson said he had privately told Diesel in June that he would not return. He called the public appeal “an example of his manipulation,” objected to bringing his children and Walker into it, and said he wished the cast and franchise well. The Los Angeles Times covered Johnson’s response. The public appeal did not change his decision at that time.
May–June 2023: Johnson returns as Hobbs
Johnson made a surprise appearance as Hobbs in the credits scene of Fast X, reversing the impression that he would remain away from the main series. In June, he said he and Diesel had left the past behind the previous summer and would move forward with “brotherhood and determination,” as reported in El País’s 2025 account.
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2025: Public warmth, private details unknown
El País reported further warm public language from Diesel in 2025 and described renewed speculation after the Golden Globes, which it said one of the principals publicly denied. Such statements are evidence of public rapprochement, not proof that every private issue has been resolved.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known—and what remains uncertain
The strongest evidence is what Johnson and Diesel said publicly. Johnson’s own explanation emphasized different philosophies of moviemaking and collaboration; Diesel at times minimized the dispute and offered his own account of their interactions. Reports about possible on-set conduct, scheduling, or motives should be treated as claims by the outlets and sources making them—not as established facts about the actors’ private relationship. The available public record does not settle all the causes of the conflict.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsAre Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel friends now?
They have both made public statements consistent with reconciliation, and Johnson returned as Hobbs in Fast X. That supports describing their relationship as publicly improved compared with the 2021 dispute. It does not establish the full state of their private relationship or show that every disagreement has been resolved.
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