Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had plenty to celebrate at D23 on Sunday — but midway through his Disney Legends acceptance speech, he turned the spotlight toward his daughter Simone Johnson and got thousands of people to sing her “Happy Birthday.”
The moment happened at the sold-out Honda Center in Anaheim, California, where Johnson was being honored as a Disney Legend. During his emotional speech, the proud father recalled taking Simone to Disney when she was just 5 years old, including a breakfast with the princesses.
Then he revealed another reason the day was special: Simone had just turned 25.
Johnson spotted his eldest daughter in the audience and used the massive D23 crowd as her very own birthday choir. He cued the audience, and thousands joined in to sing “Happy Birthday” to Simone.
Simone celebrated her birthday on August 14 and has since established her own career in wrestling. The fourth-generation wrestler performs professionally as Ava.
The Rock also gave a shout-out to his younger daughters, Jasmine and Tiana, who were watching the ceremony from home.
The father-daughter moment came during a major milestone for Johnson, who was inducted into the 2026 Disney Legends class. His “Jungle Cruise” costar Emily Blunt had the honor of introducing him.
Johnson joined an impressive group of 2026 Disney Legends that included Anne Hathaway, the Jonas Brothers, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Bob Iger.
But after accepting one of Disney’s highest honors, Johnson made sure the celebration wasn’t just about him.
He handed the spotlight to Simone — and gave her a birthday moment that came with a very large audience.
