Even though Dwayne “The Rock ” Johnson won big at the 2021 People’s Choice Awardslast night (December 7), he still found time to give back to the community.
The 49-year-old actor took home three PCAs during the event, including “Male Movie Star of 2021,” “Comedy Movie Star of 2021,” and one of the highest honors, the “People’s Champion” Award. You can see the full winners list here.
Prior to giving his acceptance speech for the “People’s Champion” award, the former WWE fighter was introduced by friend and surprise presenter Jeff Bezos with a heartfelt message with why Johnson deserved this title.
“His achievements are legend. His work ethic is unparalleled. He transcends all demographics. He is impossible not to like and he can sure put down a lot of pancakes,” Bezos said while introducing the actor. “But even with all that, the thing that really stands out the most? He’s kind, kindness is a choice. What I admire most in Dwayne is his choice to show unwavering kindness to everyone around him.”
The Rock proved Bezos’ point when he accepted his award, as he started things off by thanking his friend Muhammad Ali, who was the original “people’s champion.”
“For those who may know or for those who may not know, the original people’s champion was the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali,” Johnson said. “Years later to be standing here with you guys, you voted me the People’s Champion, this irony is not lost on me because I realize that what it means to be the People’s Champion is so much bigger than me. You treat people good, you treat people kind. You take care of people. You’re inclusive of people, all people, all colours, it doesn’t matter.”
He then revealed that he brought a special guest to the award show, a Make-a-Wish recipient Shushana who he took the time to invite on stage with him.
“Being here tonight with us and with you guys, this is her wish. She has no idea I’m doing this,” Johnson said to the crowd. “This is a total surprise. I met her earlier. I told her how inspired I was by her story. She is a survivor, she has fought literally for her life, she has inspired her family and friends.”
Johnson then turned to face Shushana and shared his moment with her by presenting her with “The People’s Champion” Award.
“I want to tell you just how much you’ve inspired me and everyone around you and certainly everyone here. I want to give you this because you represent everything that it means to be a People’s Champion so this is for you.”
In shock, Shushana accepted the award by saying “First, thank you for this. I didn’t expect this at all. But, I mean, thank you to Make-a-Wish in general. I just never expected that something like this could happen. This is crazy.”
Johnson ended the beautiful moment with a quote close to his heart saying “it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
You can watch the heartwarming video below.
What did you think of Johnson’s acceptance speech? Let us know by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
