What Really Went Down Between The Rock And Vin Diesel

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Vin Diesel have allegedly been feuding while working on Fast 8 (2017). What happened to make these beefcakes start beefing?

On Aug. 8, 2016, Johnson took to social media to vent his frustrations about co-stars on the set of Fast 8, the eighth installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise.

"My female co-stars are always amazing and I love 'em," he wrote. "My male co-stars however are a different story. Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don't. The ones that don't are too chicken s**t 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."

Johnson didn't name names, but his message was accompanied by a video of The Rock literally throwing down.

In a since-deleted Instagram post (via E! News), co-star Tyrese Gibson spoke out about the rumors surrounding the rant, removing himself from the list of possible culprits.

"Does any of us know why bro decided to jump out there with his post? No...Would one assume that IF he's going to jump out there and generalize and say 'Male Co-Stars' he would be more clear and call out names??? Of course he should of—Let me calm you guys all the way down...I don't know WHO he has a problem and I don't have any details of WHAT those problems are—as a matter of fact if I DID know I would tell you s**t," he wrote. "I think Dewayne [sic] aka DJ happens to be one of the most humble, down to earth and professional people I've ever worked with and more importantly he's my brother." He continued, "We have NEVER had a problem and will never have a problem...WE are good over here....As a cast we're ALL married dammit!!!"

Sources told TMZ that thanks to Johnson's disgruntled post, the rest of the cast has been hounded by press and nosy pals trying to figure out who he was talking about, and the co-stars were particularly peeved that The Rock made waves with just one week of filming left on the movie.

TMZ sources nixed Ludacris from Johnson's hit list, and since Johnson himself had previously spoken highly of Scott Eastwood, those co-stars were assumed to be in the clear too. Soon, all eyes darted to Diesel.

After reports surfaced that Vin Diesel was the target of Johnson's ire, the pair supposedly met to try squashing their beef. Page Six said they pow wowed on Aug. 9, 2016 to talk things out. TMZ reiterated that story, but noted that the chat supposedly didn't go well. Sources told TMZ that part of the reason Diesel and Johnson couldn't make peace is because they both have huge egos. Conflicts reportedly stemmed from Diesel's role as a producer on the film and decisions he made that didn't sit well with Johnson, a former wrestler who called himself "The People's Champion."

Diesel's camp claims Johnson was a diva on set. "Tension has been building up for months," a source told People. "Vin has been having problems with The Rock because The Rock keeps showing up late for production. Sometimes he doesn't show up at all and he's delaying the production. I don't know what's going on with The Rock," the insider continued. "He is always late and it really has delayed our production. Vin just couldn't take it anymore."

Other insiders insist Diesel was the diva on set. TMZ sources say the production crew for Fast 8 loves Johnson's professionalism and deems him easy to work with and super friendly on set. Those sources claim Diesel was constantly late because he simply refused to come out of his trailer to film. The report also alleged Diesel criticized other actors (including The Rock) on set and forced producers to move call times from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. for no reason other than Diesel not wanting to wake up early.

Sources also told Page Six that Diesel and Johnson "have been butting heads throughout the production of Fast 8. Vin has a reputation for being difficult—he shows up late, keeps people waiting, holds up production, and is disrespectful to people on the set. Dwayne lost his patience with him."

On Aug. 9, 2016, after their supposed failed meeting, both The Rock and Vin Diesel posted cryptic social media missives.

The Rock's came first, with a video of himself with some cast and crew of Fast 8. "You guys reading this know how much I believe in the idea of team effort. That means respecting every person, their time and their value when they step onto my set or partner with our production company. And like with any team, that's a family, there's gonna be conflict," he wrote. "Family is gonna have differences of opinion and fundamental core beliefs. To me, conflict can be a good thing, when it's followed by great resolution. I was raised on healthy conflict and welcome it. And like any family, we get better from it."

Later, Diesel posted a video about his daughter, Pauline, saying, "After being on set since literally Christmas, to finally, finally, finally come home, and to learn that your little angel learned a new word, I'm going to have to share it with you," Diesel said. "It's more important than anything. Her new word kind of describes my spirit and my soul, and most people who stay positive. The new word is 'happy.' When I heard her say 'happy,' I just lit up in ways I can't even describe. So give me a second and I will tell you everything. Everything." At the time of this writing, Diesel had not elaborated, but we'll keep you posted.

Just days after taking himself out of the running for The Rock's fury, Gibson defended the supposed true target of the former wrestler's rant. Gibson posted a photo of himself and Diesel on Instagram with a long-winded, heartfelt caption. "Spreading love always...we've celebrated in too many countries, too many exchanges, too many play dates with our angels...Our brotherhood and every moment has inspired me to be a better man and father...So much strength to pull from...I'm so f***ing proud to call you my family and my brother...even now I'm learning so much about sitting still and being centered in the mist [sic] of all of this unexpected energy," he wrote. "If no one else will jump out there and stand up I will—You're my brother for life. Let's keep it positive and keep rockin' this thing...#FastFamily." Soon after, Gibson posted another photo of himself and Diesel with their arms around one another.

Ludacris may also be playing a cryptic game of his own, posting a "tbt" photo of himself with several other Fast and Furious cast members. The group photo includes Diesel, but not Johnson. Oh, the shade of it all!

After filming wrapped, Diesel attempted to extend an olive branch to Johnson, but "The Rock" seemed unimpressed. Diesel posted a nearly 30-minute Facebook video on Aug. 19, 2016 thanking his fans for their support. "When I think about how fortunate I am and how blessed I am," he gushed, "it's hard for me not to recognize how much all of you have affected those blessings. And how much you all attributed to me feeling so fortunate. Know this, without you, I would not be doing Fast 8." He added, "The reason we brought Dwayne Johnson into Fast 5 was because of you! There was a [fan] named Jan Kelly who said, 'I would love to see you guys work together on screen.' So we gave the role that was originally written for Tommy Lee Jones, we gave it to Dwayne and he shined in it."

The Rock was unmoved. In an Instagram post on Aug. 19, 2016, Johnson specifically thanked several of his Fast 8 co-stars, but not Diesel, bringing to mind the old adage, "If you can't say anything nice..." Johnson wrote, "Finished strong and on to the next. That's an officially wrap on #FastAndFurious8. Thank you to our director @fgarygray for the vision and execution. Thank you UNIVERSAL for being tremendous partners as always, thank you to all my fellow co-stars for the daily effort and grind. Scott Eastwood you handsome sumbitch! Nathalie Emmanuel I have a cold Budweiser ready for you and Tyrese Gibson you still have the biggest smile and forehead I've ever seen."

In a move that couldn't possibly have anything to do with timing, Vin Diesel spoke about the supposed feud between he and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson again, just days before the premiere of The Fate of the Furious. What a weird coincidence, right? Anyway, Diesel tried reiterating his sentiments from eight months ago — that he's got nothing but love for Johnson — but we're not sure he succeeded. "I don't think the world really realizes how close we are, in a weird way. I think some things may be blown out of proportion. I don't think that was his intention. I know he appreciates how much I work this franchise. In my house, he's Uncle Dwayne," Diesel told USA Today.

This contrasts reports that the musclebound stars were being "separated as much as possible" during the film's promotion, according to insiders speaking with The Hollywood Reporter. But still, Diesel chalks the whole thing up to "creative differences" on set, and says that as a producer, the blame for problems falls at his feet. "I protect the franchise. I protect everybody including Dwayne. I protected Dwayne more than he'll ever know. And it doesn't matter. He doesn't have to know. But he appreciates it. He knows it. Dwayne has only got one Vin in his life. Dwayne Johnson only has one big brother in this film world and that's me," Diesel said.

Diesel goes on to take credit for paving the way for Uncle Dwayne's career, claiming he was "the first multicultural megastar in Hollywood," before concluding his thoughts on the matter with, "It's not always easy being an alpha. And it's two alphas. Being an alpha is sometimes a pain in the (butt)." So, will this friction be noticeable even in the movie? We're pretty sure Universal is banking on fans eager to find that out.

With The Fate of The Furious promotion in full swing as of this writing, it's impossible for Diesel (who also produced the film) to not field questions about the feud. In another interview with The LA Times, Diesel echoed and expanded on his USA Today remarks. He said, "You can't really feud with me too much if I'm hiring you, right? People are all human. I think it was a hard shoot. I'm a good scapegoat, like if someone messes up on scheduling..." He continued, "I think his post came out of a frustration, and he's human. I protect all of my actors, and I protect him. I take pride in having him in the franchise. I take pride in how his character goes." Diesel also categorized the continuation of the feud as "clown stuff" blown up by the media.

With Diesel's latest round of damage control in the bag, new sources have come forward to TMZ claiming that The Rock and Vin Diesel are "good" and "1000% in" for the next installment of the high-octane franchise. Supposedly, the whole beef was over who was getting more "real estate," which is an industry term that basically describes screen time. Johnson allegedly backed down because Diesel is "listed #1 on the call sheet," but again, this whole feud has been speculation on top of speculation from the start.

Of course, this all comes in the wake of The Fate of The Furious shattering box office records, pulling in an astounding $532 million internationally in its opening weekend, according to CNN. And with Universal having already announced the next two installments, and a ravenous fanbase already looking forward to the next chapter, it's just perfect timing for Johnson and Diesel to patch things up.