IN SHORT: US actor and wrestler Dwayne Johnson hasn’t posted videos about YouTube paying people to watch content. Videos of him supposedly promoting this have been manipulated and should be ignored.
Several videos circulating on Facebook show US actor and wrestler Dwayne Johnson seemingly promoting a new way of making money on YouTube.
In one of the videos, Johnson appears to say: “If you’re seeing this video, it’s because your profile was one of the few selected by YouTube to join a brand new app that pays between $100 and $300 a day just to review videos on the platform … But listen, be quick, because this is only available to you for the next five minutes. So go ahead, tap learn more and start making some easy extra cash.”
YouTube is a global video-sharing platform. Users can monetise their channels primarily through the YouTube partner programme, which allows them to earn money in various ways, including through ads and brand deals.
Together, the videos have received thousands of views. But can they be trusted? We checked.
No, fake video
We noticed that in the videos, Johnson’s lip movements were not in sync with the audio. This is a sign that the videos may be deepfakes designed to scam unsuspecting users.
A deepfake is a video, image, or audio file that has been altered using artificial intelligence to make it appear as if someone said or did something they haven’t.
A combination of keywords and reverse image searches indicate that the clips were created by altering original footage of Johnson.
The video showing Johnson and a child was first posted on his official Facebook page on 29 July 2025. However, in the original video, he was mostly silent. He was not promoting a new method of earning money on YouTube.
In another video, he was talking about the debut of World Wrestling Entertainment content on the streaming platform Netflix, not YouTube paying viewers.
The videos claim the offer is valid for “five minutes” and urge users to “be quick”. The use of urgency is a major red flag and a common tactic often used by scammers to pressure users.
The circulating videos of Johnson talking about making money from watching YouTube videos have been manipulated.
For more tips on how to stay safe online, read our guide to spotting content generated and manipulated by artificial intelligence.
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