Dwayne Johnson popped off over accusations he was booed for not following through on aid to Maui ... calling the claim "false clickbait garbage" in a furious response on X.
Here's the deal ... Nick Sortor -- an internet personality who has appeared on networks like Fox News and Newsmax -- posted a video to Twitter showing people at a WWE event raining jeers down on The Rock.
❗️ CROWD IN VEGAS BOOs “THE ROCK” DEMANDING HE FOLLOW THROUGH WITH AID FOR MAUI
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 10, 2024
Oprah and Dwayne @TheRock Johnson promised TENS OF MILLIONS to the victims of the Maui fires, but many victims still have not seen a dime.
It looks like the audience is fully AMERICA FIRST and is… pic.twitter.com/UUR83VPHjP
Sortor claimed these people were berating Johnson for not following through on his promise to aid the island of Maui following the devastating wildfires last summer.
He even pointed to some fans' chanting in the vid ... claiming they were saying "Maui" over and over -- and if you listen to the clip, it does sound like that's exactly what they're yelling.
I typically refrain from responding to toxic, false clickbait garbage like this because I hate dignifying bullshit with a response, but when you use Hawaii’s tragic events to draw attention to yourself I won’t stay quiet.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 11, 2024
This moment you’re referring to is from our @WWE press… https://t.co/z76m1Q7w1N
But, DJ wasn't having this interpretation of events -- instead hopping on X to slam Sortor's analysis and insisting he was being booed for playing "the heel" in a WWE press conference -- professional wrestling-ese for "the villain."
Johnson said he tries to stay above the social media fray generally, but decided to correct Nick because he used "Hawaii's tragic events to draw attention" to himself before explaining his own role of villain at the presser Thursday.
He went on to claim The People's Fund of Maui -- kicked off by himself and Oprah Winfrey in August with a $10 million donation -- has delivered more than $50 million to thousands of survivors who were affected by the fires.
He praised the resilience of those people whose lives were uprooted by the fires and wrote directly to Sortor "instead of posting bulls*** like this that you know is false - I encourage you to post something positive for Hawaii, for our Polynesian American people. Or actually take positive action and come to Hawaii to help out in an uplifting way."
He encouraged Nick to use his platform to lift up the people of Hawaii instead of trying to tear him down ... and apologized to "all our Poly/Hawaiian ohana of Maui, for shining light on this toxicity as you struggle through tough times."
BTW ... Sortor isn't backing down -- responding on X by saying he's also based in Hawaii and Dwayne has his contact info, so he's happy to meet Johnson whenever he wants.
FWIW ... a community note has been added to Sortor's tweet explaining the context of the booing video -- and the crowd may have been shouting "Maui" but that's also The Rock's character's name from the highly popular Disney movie "Moana," so it could've been yelled in a totally different context.
The Maui fires reportedly killed 100 people, leaving many more injured and homeless -- it's a sensitive topic ... one that clearly set Johnson off.