Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes pictures from the 2024 Academy Awards see the 'Peacemaker' actor actually rocking an itsy-bitsy piece of clothes to cover his private parts.
- Mar 12, 2024
AceShowbiz - John Cena might have sacrificed a lot to deliver the biggest laugh at the 96th Academy Awards, but not everyone appreciated his effort. The wrestler-turned-actor has been blasted online after he performed a streaker stunt at the Sunday, March 10 ceremony.
On Sunday, the 46-year-old uploaded a cryptic post on his Instagram page that read, "Bottom of the Rock." While the quote did not seem to have anything to do with the Oscars bit, people flooded the comments with criticism about his naked stunt, with some people accusing him of being part of "humiliation ritual" and selling his soul.
"How much is your soul worth to you sir? Smh," one person wrote in the comments section. A second user alleged, "You must've owed someone in Hollywierd a big favor." A third person mocked him, "There was a time u meant something since you ventured into Hollywood they turned you into a joke."
A seemingly disappointed fan claimed, "I love you John Cena but I feel like you hit rock bottom with that humiliation ritual they got you wearing a dress and going naked on stage what the hell is that about." Someone else remarked, "..humiliation ritual....shell of a human body that sold the soul.."
There were others who came to John's defense though, with one asking, "is it really humiliating when you're built like cena?" Another clapped back at the critics, "so many insecure men in this comment section. John Cena is ROCKING IT. He's confident to do silly things to make people laugh, and he looks darn good doing it."
Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes photos from the 2024 Academy Awards revealed that John wasn't completely naked when he presented an award for Best Costume Design that night. He was seen wearing a tiny piece of cloth to cover his private parts as he was waiting backstage with several crew members.
The flesh-colored fabric wrapped underneath and around to the front to cover his butt and hide his crotch. He appeared to be confident and did not bother to place his hands anywhere near his lower half while chatting with one of the show's producers.
Speaking to Variety about the naked bit, Molly McNeary, one of the producers of the show, said that network execs were "sweating" John's risque appearance. "They were sweating," she shared. "I think at the end we all got to a spot where we were comfortable, S&P was comfortable, and it didn't compromise the comedy a bit. I was very thankful that we didn't have to send him out there in tighty whities, which I'm sure legal would have preferred."
Molly's husband Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the show and introduced the bit, also confirmed there was a lot of back-and-forth with the execs about the stunt. "They kept demanding that we make the envelope bigger," the comedian said on his late-night talk show on Monday night.
