Dwayne Johnson Responds to 'False' Comments About His Maui Relief Effort: 'I Won't Stay Quiet'
"I typically refrain from responding to toxic, false clickbait garbage like this because I hate dignifying bulls--- with a response," Johnson said
Dwayne Johnson is calling out a social media activist who recently criticized the actor's efforts to provide aid and relief to victims of Hawaii's August 2023 wildfires on the island of Maui.
Nick Sortor shared a clip from Johnson's recent appearance at a WWE press conference in Las Vegas on X Friday. In the post, he claimed the video showed a crowd booing the actor for not doing enough to provide relief to residents of the island. Sortor claimed that "many victims still have not seen a dime" from these funds, which Johnson immediately refuted.
"Our People’s Fund of Maui has already DELIVERED over $50 MILLION DOLLARS to over 8,000 survivors who were affected by the fires, and I’m grateful to the bone that we’ve been the primary funders," Johnson wrote on X Sunday.
Johnson continued: "I typically refrain from responding to toxic, false clickbait garbage like this because I hate dignifying bulls--- with a response, but when you use Hawaii’s tragic events to draw attention to yourself I won’t stay quiet," the actor, 51, wrote on the social media platform Sunday in response to Sorter's post.
The actor and pro wrestler, who has familial roots in Hawaii, explained that the video clip shows him "turned 'heel' — wrestling parlance for bad guy" as part of an ongoing storyline involving The Rock's return to WWE for the first time since 2016.
"I’m playing it up with our crowd as they boo. It’s what we do in our WWE universe, and we all love every second of it," Johnson explained.
Related: How to Help Hawaii Wildfire Victims, Including Ways to Donate
I typically refrain from responding to toxic, false clickbait garbage like this because I hate dignifying bullshit with a response, but when you use Hawaii’s tragic events to draw attention to yourself I won’t stay quiet.
This moment you’re referring to is from our @WWE press… https://t.co/z76m1Q7w1N— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 11, 2024
Johnson and Oprah Winfrey previously combined forces to launch the People's Fund of Maui in August in response to the devastating wildfires in Maui with a $10 million donation.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"Hawaii is where I grew up, where I raise my children throughout the year and where my ancestors are buried," he wrote. "These are my Polynesian people and these are OUR American people. You can’t imagine how much they are still struggling daily to put their lives back together and take care of each other."
"Nick, instead of posting bulls--- like this that you know is false - I encourage you to post something positive for Hawaii, for our Polynesian American people. Or actually take positive action and come to Hawaii to help out in an uplifting way," Johnson added in his post. "I’m in Hawaii now, and I guarantee you, you’ll get great content that can actually make a difference in people’s lives."
Related: Everything to Know About the 2023 Hawaii Wildfires, Including Ways to Help the Victims
In response to Johnson's post, Sortor himself noted on X Monday that the issues Johnson took with his original post "seems to have some validity" and that he is leaving the original post on X as is "simply to provide context to the ongoing dispute between the two of us regarding funding for Maui."
The social media activist shared in a separate post that he is also spending time on Maui and that he would like to work with Johnson "and use our platforms to do good" together.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.