𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞
"I heard recently that you two may become brothers-in-law in the near future," Jimmy started, and Dwayne nodded.
Joe did his best to control his face so as not to react negatively to Jimmy's statement. "I've heard that too," Joe agreed, a small smile on his face.
"Now... are there plans for a WWE televised proposal or wedding maybe during Wrestlemania?" Jimmy asked and Dwayne rolled his eyes before chuckling.
"Well, Ayra would kill me if I proposed to her during Wrestlemania," Dwayne started his answer. "And I think the family would also be very upset if we did that," Dwayne continued. "So, no, there are no plans for a proposal or wedding during Wrestlemania," Dwayne concluded.
Joe shook his head. "My sister is private so you may never know when she's engaged or married," Joe said as he bit his tongue not to add the fact that she hid her relationship for a year before the family knew.
Dwayne gave him the side eye. Yeah, Joe and Ayra made up and Joe said he would try to be okay with the relationship but Dwayne didn't trust him. He believes that Joe is pretending to be okay so he doesn't lose Ayra.
Dwayne and Joe appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote WrestleMania 40, Dwayne's new business venture, and of course, enhance Joe.
"But if it happens are you excited to be brothers-in-law?" Jimmy asked Dwayne and Joe.
"We're all on board," Joe told Jimmy, speaking of the entire Anoa'i clan. "We see that my sister is happy and we support whatever gets her to that place, you know, we're happy for her," Joe answered.
"Family is everything so this will just bring us closer than we already are," Dwayne told Jimmy, shifting a little.
"That's great, amazing. So, I came across a tweet," Jimmy said as he picked a cutout of the tweet on the board. "And it says 'The bloodline members are all married to female wrestlers. Are they trying to build a super wrestling family with those genetics?' And I have to ask does this tweet have a point?" Jimmy asked.
They laughed, Jimmy, joining in.
"Well, love is love. I don't think any of us were thinking about the profession choice of our wives when we started dating them," Joe answered.
"Erm... well... it's interesting. I don't think all of our children will follow in our footsteps but you never know so I guess the genetics will be crazy," Dwayne said with a chuckle, the crowd joining in.
"So how does that work when it comes to your schedules? Are all of you on the same schedule? Do you guys wrestle to figure out martial issues at home?" Jimmy asked, pressing for more insight.
"Most of us are on the same schedule, if not we try to make sure that we can get together and spend quality time together off the road," Joe pauses. "No, we don't wrestle to solve problems but that hasn't stopped my wife from putting me in a headlock when I forget to do something," Joe told Jimmy.
"I feel like Ayra is always putting me in a submission move when I forget to do something around the house and don't let her find out that I started a D.I.Y project and didn't finish it; she'll pull out the black widow quick," Dwayne joked.
"Ayra is the main one to wrestle with anyone outside the ring over anything," Joe said with a smile.
"Do you guys let her get away with it because she is the baby of the family?" Jimmy questioned, wanting to see just how much they would reveal about Ayra before they switched topics.
Joe and Dwayne chuckled. "She gets away with a lot of things because she's Ayra, not the baby of the family," Joe answered.
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ayraicy Hey, Daddy Poppins @benjidubrow 🩵
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After attending a basketball game together, Ayra took her stepfather out for dinner. It was a good night with Benji, that man knows how to keep a smile on her face no matter what.
"I'm telling you, baby girl, if you and Joe didn't make up I would have locked you both in a closet like I used to do when y'all were kids," Benji said.
Ayra shook her head with a chuckle. When she and Joe were younger, anytime Joe was over at her house they would fight over little petty things. Benji used to lock them in the hallway closet until they made up.
"I probably should have made you do that in the first place," Ayra said.
"Yeah, you should have but you guys are good, right, or does it feel fake to you?" Benji asked Ayra.
"I mean it's Joe, of course, I want to believe he is willing to accept my relationship with Dwayne but I know he doesn't want us together," Ayra answered.
"So, what are you going to do about it?" Benji asked.
"I'm going to show him that he's wrong," Ayra replied.
Benji nodded. "Good, I know your brother and he is so stubborn so maybe go on a double date with him and Jade so he can see what you see in Dwayne, make them spend time together, and hopefully that will help him with you dating Dwayne," Benji suggested.
Ayra smiled. "I love you, Daddy Poppins, you always give me the best advice," Ayra said.
Benji smiled. "I love you too, baby girl, now let's pack up these leftovers and take them home to your mother," Benji said.
Ayra nodded. "Okay, but first we have to stop at a gas station or something, I need something sweet," Ayra said as she ran her tongue across her teeth.
"You always need something sweet after eating a meal, I'm surprised your ass ain't diabetic," Benji said, shaking his head.
"It's not my fault, my pops always gave me candy after dinner," Ayra said.
"Of course, that's Sika for you, thank God for Pat, or else y'all would have lived off sweets with that man," Benji said.
Ayra chuckled. "Hey, my pops could cook a little bit, he just couldn't handle seven kids at once," Ayra said.
Keke Palmer and Ayra delved into a profound conversation about the adversities of navigating the entertainment industry on Keke's podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer.
Keke interviewed Ayra over video chat. At one point, the two mulled over the censure that coexisted with being a public figure.
"I also love the aspect of what you said...we just want to create," Keke said. "So, there's that aspect where it's like, 'Oh, my gosh. I love my fans and this parasocial relationship. I appreciate this. I love this. But because it's parasocial, you really don't know me. So, I had to learn how to not take it personal even though sometimes it will hurt your feelings."
"I've been doing it for 20 years, and I remember the first time I got dragged on Twitter," Keke continued. "Or when I got dragged on Instagram. You just be like, 'Why is y'all dragging me like this? Y'all done hooked me up to the back of this truck, and y'all are going 100 miles per hour, damn!' But then you just sit back and say, you know what? They love my work. They don't know me, and I guess them motherfuckers hated the last project."
Ayr has had her fair share of controversies. However, she has changed her perspective regarding the online animosity directed towards her.
"You know what has helped me in those dealings?" Ayra asked. "I'm like, 'Okay, you're dragging the persona of me.' Not me because if you know me, you wouldn't drag me. So, how I've dealt with that, it's just kind of like, 'Okay, Icy, you have a public image. The public image of you is being dragged right now, but don't take it personal because you're still Ayra...I have other existences."
Ayra added that it hits differently when the controversy involves her as opposed to watching another celebrity go through it.
"You on the back of that truck hitting all the speed bumps," Ayra said, picking off from Keke's earlier truck statement.
Ayra and Keke also voiced actress Taraji P. Henson's sentiments regarding the misconceptions about celebrities' salaries.
In an interview with SiriusXM on Dec. 19, 2023, Taraji stopped all fallacies regarding artists getting paid top dollar after working, claiming they only received a small percentage and that they had to distribute their pay to their team who assisted in making specific opportunities and business ventures possible.
"I really do want to be clear that everybody in the industry don't have money like that," Keke said. "And even if they do got a little bit, they got a business that they have to afford to keep up."
"Even what Taraji said," Ayra commented. "With all the markdowns. And it's just like the people who be close to us, and the people who feel like they may know us, they just be thinking, 'Oh, you're rich, you're okay' No, I have teams that I have to take care of. So, I really love that interview that she did because it truly broke down all the knockdowns that we had and what we truly take home."
Keke nodded. "Exactly," Keke said.
They moved on to Ayra's love life. "Now, it's been confirmed that you are dating The Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and honey, I got to say is, get you some of that!" Keke exclaimed.
Ayra chuckled. "That's my man, my man," Ayra cheered.
"And how's that going? When did it happen? You guys have been together for a year and some change now," Keke said.
"It's going good and yes, it's been a year and some weeks now," Ayra told Keke. "And well, of course, we met in 2015-ish I believe and I know everyone is like the rock been around your family for years but that doesn't mean I was around him. I lived almost in California with my mom and stepdad so I never crossed paths with him until 2015, but I would say the romance started in January of 2023 when we were at an event. I vividly remember hanging out with him, because I did not know anyone else there so I was glued to him and he was like, 'I got the most beautiful woman in the room by my side,' and I was like, 'Are you flirting with me, right now?' and then he took me out later that night and we've been together ever since," Ayra explained how she and Dwayne got together.
Keke smiled. "Awe, that's so cute," Keke said.
"Yeah, I feel like we're so cute together," Ayra said.
"Do you see yourself getting married?" Keke asked.
Ayra giggled. "There'll be moods where I'm just like, "You know what? I understand my life is really big and I understand it takes a really, really, really special, unique person to want to deal with that," she said. "I think my life is really fun and whoever comes in my life will have a really good time, but it's a lot. I have my family, but it would be nice to share your life with someone, but when you do, it's such a big commitment, I don't take that lightly. And I believe that Dwayne is that special, unique person so yes I do see myself getting married," Ayra answered.
"I'm just letting you know put me down as already RSVP, because I'm coming to that wedding and leaving with a cousin or something," Keke said, laughing.
Ayra laughed. "Oh girl, come over whenever you're in town and I'll have one waiting for you," Ayra said with a wink.
Keke chuckled. "Oh darling, I'll be there by the end of the week," Keke said.