Johnson shared on Instagram that he and his mother still get emotional over the holiday because they weren’t able to afford a Thanksgiving spread back when he was a teen

Dwayne Johnson with his mom Ata in November 2021. PHOTO: KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY FOR NETFLIX

Dwayne Johnson isn’t afraid to get sentimental on Thanksgiving.

The Jumanji star shared snippets of his Thanksgiving meal on Instagram as he spent the holiday with wife Lauren Hashian, their two daughters, Tiana, 4, and Jasmine, 6, his mother Ata Johnson and other family and friends.

Johnson started out his trio of posts by sharing a video of the Thanksgiving spread on the dining table over Iz’s rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and thanking the chefs that prepared the meal.

“We went around the table praising [family chef @chefputtie

] and our staff – and when we got to my mom (as always) it’s very hard for her to talk about the blessings of Thanksgiving without crying,” he said. “Hope all of you out there and your families had a blessed one as well 🦃❤️”

Johnson focused a majority of his Thanksgiving posts on his mother, and even shared with his 349 million followers on Instagram why he and his mother often get choked up about the holiday.

“Back in my early teens, we had a few rough Thanksgivings where we would pray in hopes that another family would invite us over to eat because we didn’t have enough money for a Thanksgiving spread,” Johnson wrote.

“Things are much different these days 🙏🏾, but my mom and I will never forget those times,” he added. “Which is why it’s impossible for her to speak about our blessings without getting very emotional.”

But Johnson did try to lighten the mood with some Thanksgiving dad jokes, including one “knock knock” joke that brought on a bunch of “ew’s” and laughter around the table, especially from his two daughters.

“Hey Thanksgiving dinner at the Johnson’s is a vibe my friends 😂,” he captioned the post. “We count our blessings and man we have fun.”

DWAYNE JOHNSON INSTAGRAM

Last month, Johnson spoke to PEOPLE about being a dad, revealing that his “superpower” is that he continues to fall for the pranks his daughters pull on him at home.

Johnson has frequently shared glimpses on social media of the hilarious tricks concocted by his younger daughters.

“My superpower as a dad is the ability to not figure out why I keep falling for the ‘Daddy close your eyes’ trick and I get peanut butter in the face, my face drawn on, kicked in the nuts,” he joked. “Everything happens, that’s my superpower.”

DWAYNE JOHNSON/ INSTAGRAM

When recently asked about a presidential run, which he toyed with in past interviews through the years, the actor explained that now, it’s “off the table.”

“I will say this, because it requires the B-side to this,” Johnson said. “I love our country and everyone in it. I also love being a daddy.”

“Especially during this time, this critical time in my daughters’ lives. Because I know what it was like to be on the road and be so busy that I was absent for a lot of years for my first daughter’s growing up, [at] this critical age at this critical time in her life. And that’s what the presidency will do. So my No. 1 priority is my daughters. Sure, CEO sounds great, but the No. 1 thing I want to be is daddy. That’s it.”