Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Adele's bond formed on national television at the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 5th. Not only did The Rock meet Adele for the first time ever during a surprise orchestrated by the show's host Trevor Noah, he later presented her with the award for Best Pop Solo Performance. Now, Johnson is opening up about the special moment and what it was like meeting the iconic songstress.

“We wanted to do something special for Adele,” Johnson told Variety. “I know that she is a very big fan of mine and has made that clear publicly many times. But I’ve got to tell you, I am a huge fan of hers, as well — her music, her journey, her openness and directness in how she speaks. I’ve always admired that about her.” He continued, “The key to a surprise like that is to actually keep it a surprise. Myself and the Grammys went to great lengths to make sure that Adele was authentically surprised in the moment, and she was.”

“It was just a great surprise and I was able to chat with her a little bit and her boyfriend, Rich Paul,” Johnson said. “And talk about the universe meeting our friendship halfway: I get up on stage and I open that Grammy envelope and it said ‘Adele.’ So that’s why I was able to say, ‘Get up here best friend, Adele!’ It was such a special night. And she’s such a special iconic brilliant inspiring artist who has inspired a generation and who will continue to inspire generations to come. I love that woman. We had a really great time tonight. I think probably the best part about it is she’s just cool — and I had never met her before.”

Michelle Fay