Dwayne Johnson Sets Record Straight on if He Paid $32 Million for a Dinosaur Skull
No, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson did not pay $32 million for a T-Rex skull and now he's taken to Instagram to clarify exactly where the dinosaur skull he does own came from. On Monday night, Johnson appeared on Peyton and Eli Manning's Manning Cast on NFL's Monday Night Football with Johnson appearing from his home office. In said home office was a giant T-Rex skull, which Eli Manning pointed out, prompting Johnson to explain.
"That's Stan," Johnson said. "So, as a matter of fact, Stan is the most complete T-Rex skull ever found by a paleontologist—a young paleontologist—and his name was Stan, so this T-Rex head was named after him. Pretty cool and badass, isn't it?"
As it turns out, the real Stan skull actually sold in 2020 for nearly $32 million to an unknown buyer and after Johnson's comments, the internet went wild with the idea that Johnson was that mysterious buyer. Alas, that's not the case. Johnson shared a photo of his Stan as well as the team that created it for him, along with an explanation on his Instagram.
"After my LIVE interview on last night's #ManningCast on @NFL's Monday Night Football, there's been tons of worldwide speculation in the world of science ~ that I am the "mystery buyer" of the original T-REX skull, known as STAN," Johnson wrote. "I am not the mystery buyer."
He continued, "In my home office, this is my REPLICA CAST of STAN that I had made and purchased from my friends at The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research and Paleontological Excavations."
Johnson then went on to explain the history of the real Stan as well as share some insight on why he identifies so much with the dinosaur— and why if he were the buyer, he wouldn't have Stan in his office.
"The original STAN was found in 1987, by amateur paleontologist, Stan Sacrison and finally excavated in 1992. In science, this T-REX skull is considered to be the most perfectly preserved skull ever found. Bones of this beautiful beast were perfectly pristine. This is why STAN is so extraordinary and special. In 2020, STAN was auctioned and sold for $31.8 million to an anonymous buyer and never seen again. That buyer was not me," Johnson wrote. "My love, respect, fascination and curiosity for paleontological & archeological science runs deep – and if I was the proud owner of the real STAN, I sure as hell wouldn't keep him in my office. I'd keep him in a museum, so the world could enjoy, study and learn from him."
The post continued, "Some cool paleontology history for you guys. Based on anatomical research, STAN had some BRUTAL fights during his lifetime. Multiple bites and punctures from another T-Rex all over his skull as well as at the base of his skull that resulted in a broken neck, which STAN SURVIVED but his vertebrae were fused, resulted in loss of mobility and great pain for the rest of his life. STAN's a f-cking bad ass. And reminds me of myself. Not because I'm a bad ass, but because I'm 67 MILLION YEARS OLD TOO. Cheers to the Cretaceous Legend himself…STAN."
So, there you have it. Johnson didn't pay $32 million dollars Stan, but even with that T-Rex not being the real Stan, it's still a pretty neat item to have in one's office and it was definitely a conversation starter.
What do you think about Johnson's update about his T-Rex skull? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.