You're welcome, Mom!
Dwayne Johnson surprised his mom Ata Johnson with a brand-new house. And it's not the first he's bought her, either. The Rock, 50, shared on his Instagram videos of his mother, 73, being moved to tears as she checks out her new home and its custom décor with artifacts close to her heart.
"Love you mom and surprise!" he wrote. "When I was a little boy, I hated when my mom would cry ~ these days, I'll happily take her tears of joy. I surprised my mom and bought her a new home. Took me and my design team 8 weeks to get it ready, where she could walk thru her front door for the very first time and everything she saw was brand new and a total surprise."
The Moana actor continued, "I've been lucky enough to have bought her a few homes over the years, but this one is special as she's told me over and over these past few years, 'After a lifetime of traveling, I want this home to be my last. Thats my dream.' Mom, there's no greater feeling than to make you happy ~ welcome home."
The house's family room contains a wall display of Ata's collection of vintage ukuleles, as well as pictures of the family's ancestors that Dwayne said his mom hasn't seen "since she was a child growing up in Samoa."
He wrote, "She misses her mom and dad. I miss them too. Thank you God for blessing me with a little bit of work ethic to make stuff like this happen. Enjoy your new home mom!!"
Ata's new home also contains what the wrestling star calls her "Smackdown Room," "where she keeps the coolest Rock/DJ memorabilia."
He wrote, "Over the years they've become insanely crowded - so for her new home, I had these cool built ins made and just added only a few memorabilia items - Posters, University of Miami game balls, movie awards, championship titles etc. Figured she can add whatever she wants from here."
"This is her favorite room to bring guests to and it's my least favorite because the last thing I want to do is stand in a DJ Shrine while people look around as my mom takes them thru at all the stuff I've done," he joked. "No thanks."
The Rock continued, "But, truth is, when I'm BY MYSELF, these Smackdown rooms she creates have such positive energy and beautiful mana. Always a good reminder for me to never forget where I came and always be grateful for grind. Welcome home mom."
"I always say, if you got a good mom then you got a shot at becoming a good, caring human being," the actor said. "Let's all give our mamas a big grateful squeeze this weekend and make 'em happy."
Dwayne also bought his mom a new house in 2018. That December, he shared a video of Ata reading a Christmas card that revealed his gift.
"All our lives growing up we lived in little apartments all across the country," he wrote. "Lived like gypsies on the road from one state to another. The first home my parents ever lived in was the one I bought for them in 1999. They divorced about 5yrs later and as with life, stuff happens and things got a little complicated. Since then I always made sure my mom and dad have everything they'll ever need - houses, cars etc."
He continued, "But the house this time is a special one and the timing is very meaningful. I told her to treat this card like it's 'Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket' because she gets to choose any home she wants - anywhere she wants. I always say, if you got a good mama, then you gotta pretty good shot at becoming a decent human being. And somehow, somewhere along the line I became one lucky SOB to be able to make stuff like this happen."
See celebs who bought houses for their parents over the years:
The Rock bought his mother Ata Johnson new houses in 2018 and in 2022.
In November 2018, the "Money" rapper posted on Instagram a video of a house she purchased for her mother. Cardi said, "Last year I was so thirsty to buy my mama a home, and I could only afford a house that cost $600,000. You know, we live in New York, so a price that looked like that look like s--t...I waited, I waited, I waited, I waited til I could afford a dream home, and I copped it."
The comedian and actor bought his mother Amy Waters Davidson a new house on Staten Island, New York for $1.29 million in 2016, two years after he joined Saturday Night Live, property records show.
In 2017, the Fast & Furious star surprised his mother with a house as she celebrated 11 years of sobriety.
Carol Maraj is a lucky mom! On her 2010 track "I'm the Best," Nicki raps the lyrics, "I remember when I couldn't buy my mother a couch / Now I'm sittin' at the closin' bought my mother a house."
The former New York Yankees star told Extra in September 2018, "Almost 25 years ago, when I signed my first contract out of high school in Miami, the first thing I did with my signing bonus... I bought my mother [Lourdes Rodriguez] a house. And I bought myself a Jeep Cherokee."
On his track "Playstyle," he raps the lyric, "I bought my mother a house in Atlanta."
The actor and rapper was quoted as telling Metro, "When I started out I bought my mother [Ondrea Smith] a house and had 10 or 12 cars - BMWs, Benzes, Porsches," adding, "The luxury I have in my life now is I can buy all the books I want and I can always have brand new trainers on...My thing isn't money...I'm not trying to show people how rich I am. But I do like diamonds and nice things."
The social media sensation surprised his parents with a new home in 2017.