Dwayne Johnson gifts a $30,000 truck to his friend who took him in when he was a homeless teenager

From Sylvester Stallone having to sell his dog before buying him back to Jim Carrey living in a car, successful stars have gone through tough times to reach the top. Dwayne Johnson is one of the most likable celebrities around the world with tremendous success as a professional wrestler as well as an actor. He has earned a reputation not just with great work on screen but by doing good off-screen as well. In one of his stories of kindness, the actor expressed his gratitude to a long-time friend by gifting him a $30,000, brand-new Ford F-150. 

While today,  Johnson is a world-famous Hollywood hunk and legendary wrestler, in his early life, he struggled to keep a roof over his head. At a young age, he and his mother were evicted from their home in Hawaii, and Johnson was sent to Nashville, Tennessee to live with his father. However, that didn't work out, and the two were on the brink of homelessness. That is when a man named Bruno Lauer helped the actor and took them to his own home. According to Johnson's social media post, he lived with Lauer in a "spot called the Alamo Plaza motel."

This wasn't the only time when Lauer helped the actor. Nine years later when Johnson had only $7 in his pocket and no place to live, it was again Lauer who provided him shelter to help him pursue a career in wrestling. Thus, when it was time for the actor to return the favor, he didn't hold back.

Back in 2021, Johnson paid a surprise visit to his old friend on New Year's Eve on the set of "Young Rock". In a video shared on Instagram, he documented an interaction where he returned the favor to Lauer. "Meet one of my lifelong friends, Bruno Lauer — or I prefer to call him, 'Downtown Bruno'," the actor wrote in the caption. 

“Hey, you son of a gun!” Dwayne yelled across the parking lot. In the video, the two recounted the story of Lauer taking him in and buying the actor his first car. Lauer shared that he and Johnson got a car from an addict for $40 and drove away. However, after driving around for a while, one of the previous owner's friends hilariously jumped out from the back and shocked the two. 

Laughing at the good old story, Johnson said he wanted to thank his old pal for buying him his first car. Thus, to return the favor, he told him that the brand new Ford F150 behind them was all his to drive home in Walls Mississippi. 

"Merry Christmas, Bruno, and since you helped me “buy” my first car - I figured I could return the favor and buy you one that 100% does NOT have a crackhead in the back seat," the caption read. Johnson further expressed his gratitude saying Lauer's actions changed the course of his life and he wanted to give back. Sitting in his new truck, Lauer could barely hold back his tears. 

He thanked the lord for putting Johnson in his life and said, "There are only 5 people I would die for and you are one of them!".  The actor ended the video by reassuring his old friend that there was no one hiding in the backseat of the car.