The Rock's Daughter Grew Up To Be Gorgeous

Simone Garcia Johnson sure is a strong and inspiring young woman. The oldest daughter of legendary wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his first wife, Dany Garcia, has already made Golden Globes history, drafted some very lofty career plans, garnered a few enemies on Instagram by unapologetically supporting causes she's passionate about, and yes, kicked off a professional wrestling career. And though she may be the kid of one of the most famous humans on the planet, she stays humble.

"Growing up in the industry, my parents have just always taught me to be the most authentic version of myself," Garcia Johnson once told Teen Vogue. "My dad has always told me to live in the moment, and I feel like that advice is so perfect. My mom has just always told me to be the most authentic version of myself, be true to myself and be a strong, confident woman." Clearly, those pieces of advice have worked out rather well for her.

Let's learn more about this chip off the ol' Rock.

Given her parents' ties to the film industry, you might assume Simone Garcia Johnson would try to get into the industry at an early age. But head over to her IMDB page and you'll only spot a handful of credits under her name, citing her appearances on Entertainment Tonight and at the 75th Golden Globes, all as herself. (Aside from her WWE work, that is — but we will get into all of that in a bit.) 

However, as the budding young star revealed to W magazine in January 2018, she has actually been pretty involved in showbiz from the time she was just 12 years old. As it turns out, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's daughter has taken on the unofficial role of a mini-producer next to her famous parents. As she told the publication, "They've always wanted to know my input on certain things." According to W, one of the projects she weighed in on was a short film about bodybuilding called "Inside the Olympia."

When she was in high school, Simone Garcia Johnson began exploring possible career opportunities when she signed with IMG Models. In 2016, the big name agency announced Dwayne 'The Rock" Johnson and Dany Garcia's daughter had been added to their roster. "We are excited to welcome #SimoneGarciaJohnson to the IMG family!" the company tweeted. "We're looking forward to a bright & beautiful future."

A little over a year after she was signed by IMG, Teen Vogue chatted with Garcia Johnson about her career and her platform. When asked who she would love to work with at some point, the future wrestler said, "The first person that comes to mind who I really admire is Ashley Graham; I admire her fierce body positivity and all the amazing things that she has done for the modeling industry." And even though she became a pro model when she was still a teen, she told the outlet that her parents have always made sure she never loses sight of who she is.

As part of her duties as the first-ever Golden Globes Ambassador, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's daughter was tasked with picking a charity to partner with throughout her year-long tenure. She chose Global Girl Media. As the nonprofit's website explains, "(GGM) develops the voice and media literacy of teenage girls and young women, ages 14-25, in under-served communities by teaching them to create and share digital journalism designed to improve scholastic achievement, ignite community activism and spark social change." In the digital age, media literacy is as important as ever, and Garcia Johnson has used her platform to bring awareness to the great work that Global Girl Media does. 

"They're an incredible organization," the newly crowned ambassador explained of her decision. "And they empower young women through digital journalism, and they give them all the tools they need to get their voice heard." She echoed those sentiments in a chat with Teen Vogue a couple of months later, concluding, "I'm super excited to be partnering with them."

Looking ahead, Simone Garcia Johnson told W she wants to use her platform to encourage others to stand up for what is right and against what is wrong. This is something she herself has done on Instagram. "I think that social media is a great way to speak up about issues that people are passionate about and things that they feel need to be changed," she said. "I've definitely gotten some backlash over certain things, but you can't please everyone. I'll read the comments sometimes, but I tend to focus more on the positive ones."

What else does she focus on? "I just support equality 110%," The Rock's daughter passionately told Teen Vogue before listing causes close to her heart, including "Black Lives Matter, trans rights, or women's rights." She also taken to Insta to let her X followers and counting know she supports helping refugees, the NFL's #TakeAKnee national anthem protests and has even called out tabloids for body-shaming celebrities.

Having grown up with a wrestling legend as her father, it comes as no surprise that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's daughter has massive respect for the sports entertainment universe. "It's a sport that is unlike anything else in the world," Simone Garcia Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter back in 2017. "There's just a certain amount of passion that every move and match requires, and that's so admirable. It's definitely something I've thought about and want to pursue."

Laying out her plan, the teen went on to reveal, "I plan to study business in college — NYU, hopefully — and after graduating, I want to pursue wrestling." Then, after that, she hopes to take a cue from her mother — "I've watched my mom build and grow a business, which I've been so inspired by!" — and get into the management game. However, as previously noted, Garcia Johnson would make some changes to that timeline. 

After more than two years of training at the WWE Performance Center, Simone Garcia Johnson was finally ready to make her big WWE debut and she did so with a bang. It all began in early October 2022 when the WWE NXT trio known as The Schism was joined by a mysterious fourth member. As WWE teased them as a new on-air personality, they began appearing backstage and in the audience until, on October 25, they hit the squared circle. Dressed in a red hooded sweatshirt and yellow mask, Simone (who goes by Ava Raine in the ring), joined existing Schism members Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid in the ring and unveiled her alter ego for the first time on TV. Sporting red and black hair and one red contact lens, she proudly told fans, "The love and acceptance The Schism has given me defies any preconceived notions of who I'm supposed to be." It's a sentiment she also shared on Twitter where she happily posted, "I've found my family."

The reveal was a hit and fans applauded the addition. "I wasn't interested in this group before, definitely interested now," tweeted one supporter while another gushed, "She looks incredible." And while some seemed let down and questioned the WWE's decision to add Simone to The Schism, many more argued it was just the perfect fit. As one fan noted, "That's a really good spot for her, she gets to learn behind some veterans."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is one supportive papa. The actor has repeatedly gushed about how proud he is of his eldest daughter, Simone Jonhson, and everything she's accomplished. Indeed, the budding pro wrestler told People in 2017 that Dwayne is an incredible dad. "He's really such an amazing role model to me and I couldn't have asked for a better father," she gushed. "I love my dad and I'm so proud of everything that he's done."

However, reaching the level of success Dwayne has meant he had to give up a lot of precious family time. As he admitted on "The Pivot" podcast in May 2023, he wasn't always the best dad and wasn't always present in Simone's life as much as he should have been. "I had her when I was young, in my 20s, and as dudes, we're still trying to find ourselves in our 20s, in our 30s," he mused, admitting, "When I had Simone, I was flying by the seat of my pants." Recalling how he was wrestling full-time while also breaking into an acting career. He recalled, "I was always gone, but we tried to keep it together." Now that he's older and they've got a shared career, that's all changed. "As she becomes a pro wrestler, it's actually brought us closer together," he shared.