Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Responds to Reports He Insulted ‘Snowflake Generation’ in Interview

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson claims that an interview he gave with The Daily Star, in which he used the term “generation snowflake,” is completely fabricated.

The Daily Star posted a now-deleted interview with Johnson on Friday morning, where the movie star gave his opinion on millenials. He apparently used the term “generation snowflake” — a diminutive term generally used by the far-right to belittle social justice efforts. Fans were outraged, and a few hours later, Johnson got on Instagram to assure them that the interview was simply made up.

“Earlier today, online, an interview dropped with me — apparently was with me, where I was insulting and criticizing millennials,” Johnson said to his Instagram followers in a video. “The interview never took place. Never happened. Never said any of those words. Completely untrue. One hundred percent fabricated.”

“I was quite baffled when I woke up this morning,” Johnson went on. “I’ve gained such a great trust and equity with all you guys, all around the world over the years, and you know it’s not a real D.J. interview if I’m ever insulting a group, a generation or anyone because that’s not me. That’s not who I am and that’s not what we do.”

Johnson went on to say he respected all generations, including the “snowflake generation,” adding: “I don’t even know where that term came from.”

“So, to the millennials, the interview never happened. I always encourage empathy, I encourage growth, but most importantly I encourage everybody to be exactly who they want to be,” he concluded.

In the caption, Johnson added that even if he had a criticism for a group, he would not handle it by throwing it around flippantly in an interview.

“If I ever had an issue with someone, a group, community or a generation — I’d seek them out, create dialogue and do my best to understand them,” he wrote. “Criticizing ain’t my style.”

The Daily Star took down the inflammatory video, which had many fans saying that Johnson was “canceled” before he set the record straight. So far, The Daily Star and its parent company have not responded to any requests for comment from other outlets. The U.K.-based website took the interview off of its website, though its tweets about the piece still remain online.

Johnson will be back in theaters on Valentine’s Day with a wrestling comedy titled Fighting With My Family. The movie is out everywhere on Feb. 14.