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The Fast and Furious movies have been able to draw big box office numbers over the years thanks to the cool, over-the-top stunts, but also thanks to the draws of major talents from Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, to the likes of Jason Statham, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and many more. Of course, we know things are not always copacetic between all of these big names.
In fact, some alleged beef between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel has been well-documented, as have some issue Michelle Rodriguez has made note of in the past that very nearly led her to quit the franchise. When you’re working with “family,” things aren’t always super easy or simple.
Still, while a lot of this has been covered from various angles, we’ve never really gotten into the nitty gritty behind Tyrese Gibson’s beef with The Rock. Let’s take a look at the history of the “feud” between Dwayne Johnson and his Fast series co-star.
When Tyrese Gibson May Have Started To Have A Problem With Dwayne Johnson
If you asked people in the Fast franchise why they are not happy with The Rock, you might get an answer related to the Hobbs and Shaw spinoff. The cast of Fast and Furious 9 was not particularly happy when the franchise decided to spin off, but that may not be the real reason Tyrese Gibson comments about The Rock on social media.
You actually may not need to look further than this clip:
If you are a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise, you’ve seen this clip before. It’s from Fast & Furious 6 and it shows The Rock getting a quick zing in about Tyrese Gibson’s character (or really Tyrese, given he can’t change that forehead).
People related to the movies, including Ludacris, who spits out his drink during this unscripted take have all said this scene was improvised. He may be improvising too, but Tyrese Gibson really does look hurt in the filmed moment.
Was it simply good acting? Look, we don’t know what goes on during takes or in how many takes Tyrese Gibson may have gotten his own quick quip in with The Rock. We only know what we see onscreen here and what happened after.
What Happened With Fast And Furious And Hobbs And Shaw
Following the release of The Fate of the Furious, a bunch of bombshells dropped. First, The Fate of the Furious had a slightly lower global box office intake than the two movies that preceded it, Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7. Not a disaster by any means, but it was enough for Universal to press pause on the upcoming Fast and Furious 9 and make room to expand the universe with the high-octane Hobbs & Shaw spinoff.
What did this mean? It meant the cast was splitting off and it meant that people in Fast and Furious 9 would be without paychecks for a little longer. Why? Because the delay of the movie’s release date to 2020 also meant the film delayed production. There are a whole lot of moving parts that get shuffled when a tentpole movie’s release date changes.
It also meant Tyrese Gibson was open about it on social media.
What Happened With Tyrese Gibson’s Public Meltdown
After the announcement got made, Tyrese Gibson chose to make quite few pronouncements on social media. One that sort of gives you an idea about his feelings toward Dwayne Johnson for what he perceived to be turning his back on the Fast franchise looked like this:
Congratulations to The Rock and your brother in law aka 7 Bucks producing partner for making The Fast and the Furious franchise about YOU – And like you, DJ even if they call I will not be deleting this post – Gn folks see you in 2020 April #FastFamily right? Nah… it’s about #TeamDewayne. 3 yrs will it be worth the wait? #NoShaw just Hobbs will this be another #BayWatch?
As you can see, there are some shots at Dwayne Johnson in the post, as well as some reiterated feelings that Dwayne Johnson was making the franchise about Luke Hobbs. There’s also a mention of the release date change, which was a sticking point in other posts.
Next, Tyrese Gibson had a “heart-to-heart” with one of Dwayne Johnson’s “associates” and that seemed to be the end to the feud, as well as his threats that he might leave the Fast and Furious family. I say “seemed to be” because there is more to this story.
Ultimately, Tyrese Gibson finally made a point to apologize for his meltdowns on social media. He noted his “meds” were to blame for his outbursts and that people should consult with doctors while trying out new medications and should also “be present in the Lord.” Yet, this isn’t the end of the history in question.
How The Feud Got Reignited With Hobbs & Shaw’s Release
Recently, Tyrese Gibson took to social media to take a jab at Hobbs & Shaw, a movie that won its first weekend at the box office but did not achieve the great heights some of the Fast franchise movies have. He later deleted the post, but it said:
I have to show my respects for one thing… He tried… Folks called me a hater… And attacked me for speaking out… Breaking up the family clearly doesn’t have the value that one would assume it does.
It’s clearly a jab at The Rock, which may or may not feel deserved, depending on your point of view. Although, it’s interesting to me that Jason Statham has seemingly managed to totally stay out of this story entirely, despite also being a Fast cast member who also left to do the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff. If the movie continues to do well, an entire spinoff universe, complete with new cast members, could become a reality as well.
How The Rock Has Responded
Like the beef between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson – which Dwayne Johnson has said stemmed from differences in “moviemaking” and “collaborating” –The Rock has come out to reveal his side about what happened with Tyrese Gibson and what is going on with Fast and Furious 9.
The Rock hasn’t taken shots at the other Fast actor himself, but he did reveal in an interview with Andy Cohen that the feud has been pretty “one-sided,” but that he’s disappointed with how everything played out, noting,
That whole thing with Tyrese, it was pretty disappointing because I had been friends with Tyrese for a very long time. I always feel like a beef requires two people to actually jump in it, and it was pretty one-sided and he had voiced his opinion a lot on social media. Apparently, he was going through some stuff, too, in his personal life. But, no, we haven’t talked and I don’t see where we would and, to me, there’s no need to have a conversation.
Ultimately, Hobbs & Shaw did take over that 2019 release date and Fast and Furious 9 – which by the way is still untitled—has taken a May 22, 2019 release date. However, the cast is back on set now and seem to be moving forward with the brand new spectacle, so hopefully the now-deleted Tyrese Gibson post is the last we’ll really hear about this perceived feud.
At the end of the day, Hobbs & Shaw still ties into the Fast and Furious universe and also has a lot of the same values of the original franchise, despite being a spinoff. We’ll have to wait and see if a sequel is ultimately greenlighted, but I can see a universe where both storytelling narratives can exist peacefully alongside one another.
So, where do you stand?
Where Do You Stand On The Feud?
