Being from a celebrity family, especially an athletic one, has its own quirks. No one knows it better than Simone Johnson, daughter of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and IFBB pro bodybuilder Dany Garcia. Herself a fourth-generation professional wrestler, Johnson's parents are both A-listers. So, in a family centered on fitness, what does the kitchen pantry look like?

That's exactly the question Gianmarco Soresi posed on the latest episode of 'The Downside' podcast with Simone Johnson.

"We didn't keep it in the house," said But when my mom would have a cheat day, we were in that Dairy Queen drive-thru. We were first in line," Johnson said, pulling the curtains on their candy arrangements.

Johnson's answer highlighted the savvy fix that sits at the intersection of restrictive dieting and culture. The former WWE star revealed that her family had sweet treats once a week, on her mother's cheat meal days.

On the same podcast, the anticipated occasion was on Saturdays, or as she calls them: "Dairy Queen Day." Being on a pretty regular diet otherwise, the cheat days were more of a weekly festival for Johnson.

Funnily enough, Lördagsgodis, or "Saturday candy", is a common tradition in Sweden, as one comment pointed out. The culture serves to limit the sweet consumption of children and often adults in the country.

Turns out, what looks like a bodybuilding ritual has its roots in sportive Swedish customs. Not to liken sports to cultural quirks, but Johnson believes the connections are deeper.

Simone Johnson draws similarities between wrestling and theatre

In the same interview, Johnson cleared the air on how she viewed professional wrestling and theatre.

Soresi, who used to be a theatre kid, quipped that he grew up "loving wrestling", before adding, "and the way that it's not the same group as theatre people."

Johnson interrupted before Soresi could backpedal on his statement.

"But it is," she cut in sharply. "It is 100%. It is theater, and everyone in it is a theater kid. Like even if they didn't do it, it's in their- like when you would meet a theater kid in middle school, and you'd be like 'Same thing.'"

As Soresi explained the intricate costume of Undertaker, one of the wrestlers he had grown up watching, Johnson chimed in to agree with that sentiment.

Although Simone Johnson, aka Ava, has just wrestled in three matches since her debut in 2023, she has garnered a massive fanbase. Now, after 6 years with the promotion, she departed in January.

What are your thoughts on the Johnson family's cheat meal rituals?

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi