Jelly Roll And Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Finally Meet In Emotional First Encounter

After nearly a decade of friendship, Jelly Roll and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson finally had their first in-person meeting, and the moment was as heartfelt as it gets.

On Tuesday, July 1, Johnson took to social media to share a glimpse into the interaction that took place on set of American Idol while Jelly Roll was serving as the show’s first “Artist in residence” mentor. Luckily, the whole thing was caught on camera, allowing fans to see just how close of a bond these two have formed over the years.

The clip begins with Jelly Roll stepping out of his trailer, smiling ear to ear as he walks straight into a tight embrace with Johnson. “I’ve been waiting a decade for this hug,” he says.

From the jump, the two exchanged pure joy and a mutual admiration for each other’s strength, which is something that’s been building over the course of almost 10 years.

Johnson revealed that in that time, they have been “texting, showing love, support, whatever you need…it was very special.”

Johnson’s Sentimental Gift To Jelly Roll

He also took a moment to praise Jelly Roll on his incredible 200+ pound weight loss journey and then presented him with a deeply meaningful gift. Knowing that they both have a deep-rooted history in Music City, Johnson decided to give the country star an old postcard from the Alamo Plaza Motel in Nashville. This was where he stayed when he first moved to town at 15 years and used to be located in the area Jelly Roll grew up in, but has since been torn down.

Johnson explained that the postcard was given to him as a Christmas present form former pro wrestling manager, “downtown Bruno,” who was a prominent figure in his life back in the day. He then decided to regift the nostalgic piece of paper to Jelly Roll knowing that it would be meaningful to him.

“I knew you were here. I said, I gotta give it to my boy, Jelly.”

A brotherly hug almost 10 years in the making 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼🤎🤍 @JellyRoll615

Several years ago (roughly 2017) I was going through a very hard thing at the time, I was struggling. My mental wellness turned into my mental hellness. Many of you know the drill, you put on “the face”, show up… pic.twitter.com/eylhhKlWd1

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) July 1, 2025

“This is old, old school,” Jelly Roll shared as memories of the place he grew up in flooded back to him. “I was just talking about this. When you first get in the business, in our business, you dream of all the plaques to cover the rafters, you know? So you start filling your walls with plaques. And then Kid Rock writes you a note and you cherish it more than anything…the next thing you know all the plaques came down. And it’s this,” he said holding up the old postcard. “This is the relationship.”

Celebrating The Power Of Music

Alongside the video, Dwayne Johnson penned a heartfelt message in the caption, that found him reflecting on how Jelly Roll’s music, particularly the song “Only,” helped him during one of the darkest moments in his life.

“Several years ago (roughly 2017) I was going through a very hard thing at the time, I was struggling. My mental wellness turned into my mental hellness. Many of you know the drill, you put on “the face”, show up to work, smile and get through it. Perhaps not the healthiest thing to do, but it’s what I was used to doing at the time.  Then a song came on through my headphones one morning on a random shuffle playlist. “Only” from Jelly Roll.”

He goes on to say that the lyrics “rocked me. hard core.” This is where their friendship truly began. Johnson reveals he was so moved by the story that he reached out to the artist and said, “you don’t know me and I don’t know you, but this song of yours is helping me through some stuff I’m dealing with. I just called to say thank you brother.  Our bond was born.”

The gift of the postcard may be “insignificant to the world,” as The Rock pointed out, however given their history, he knew it would be something Jelly Roll would greatly appreciate.

This isn’t the first time Johnson has expressed his love for the “Liar” singer. He previously opened up about discovering his music while appearing on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” Jelly Roll later saw the clip of Johnson singing his praises and responded a few weeks later.

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A post shared by Dwayne Johnson (@therock)

To this day, the Tennessee native claims Johnson’s message of support was a turning point in his career.

“You don’t know what that meant to me,” he said in the recent video. “I’m at a point in my career then where you’re wondering will it even work… then I’m seeing you post about this and I call them God Waves. It’s like anytime you’re a little sideways and God gives you one of those, it’s like nah I’m straight. I’m straighter than I thought I was. We’re coasting.”

Jelly Roll then shared another unforgettable memory of when he won his first award anad revealed Johnson beat his own mother to congratulating him. “He beat my mother into my inbox…it took my mom a whole nother hour. DJ was in there immediately,” he said with a laugh.

The video ends with another tight hug between the two stars, showcasing the strength of their years-long bond.

Johnson concluded his message by saying, “Every once in a while we all get sliced up by life, but it’s amazing to see what kind of blessings and people that God and the universe will put in our lives to help us heal through our pain…Love you brother and cheers to all our plaques coming down.”