The Rock Gifts Ford F-150 to Man Who Helped Him as a Teen

By Brett Foote - January 4, 2021

The former pro wrestler and current TV/ movie star gives the man who kept him from being homeless a Ford F-150.

“The Rock,” or Dwayne Johnson as he’s known in real life, has long been a pretty generous fellow. But the former pro wrestler and current TV and movie star was once in need of help himself, long before he was raking in big money in Hollywood. In fact, Johnson and his mother were evicted from their home in Hawaii when Johnson was a teen, but he soon received help from a man named Bruno Lauer. Now, Johnson is repaying the favor by gifting Lauer a Ford F-150.

Johnson recently posted the story of his relationship with Lauer on Instagram, and it’s a touching one for sure. “I’ve known Bruno since I was 15-years-old,” Johnson said. “He gave me a place to live when I had no place to stay. I will always be grateful for that. We got booted out of Hawaii cause we can’t pay the rent. And so I’m sent to Nashville and I thought I was going to live with my dad.” However, that wasn’t quite the case.

“So when I landed in Nashville, first of all, I get picked up by a guy I’ve never met in my life. And then, I realize, oh well, plans have changed, so I’m not going to be living with my dad.” Johnson soon learned that he would be “living with a guy named Bruno.” But that wasn’t the end of Lauer’s involvement in Johnson’s life – he would also soon help the young man launch his pro wrestling career, too, by once again giving him a place to live. He even bought Johnson his first car – a Ford Thunderbird.

So it makes sense that the now-famous (and quite rich) Johnson would want to give Lauer a token of his appreciation, and in this case, it’s a Ford F-150. “I can’t thank you enough for when I was 15 and you had every right to say ‘I don’t know this kid, I don’t want him to live with me.’ And you took me in,” Johnson said. “And truly Bruno, it means so much to me that you did that because it actually helped change the course of my life.”

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Lauer seems quite taken back by the generous gift, though he probably shouldn’t be. After all, he clearly deserves it. But it’s still nice to see someone like Johnson give back to those that helped him become who he is today, which isn’t something that all rich and famous folks do.