So Ken.
Photo: Rich Polk/Variety via Getty Images
Did John Cena really commit his bits to the bit? While hosting the 2024 Oscars on March 20, Jimmy Kimmel reminded the audience that tonight is the 50th anniversary of the time a nude man ran across the Academy Awards stage. That was Cena’s cue to come out and present the award for Best Costume Design while appearing to be fully nude. This took some coaxing from Kimmel, with Cena initially arguing that “the male body is not a joke.” The wrestler didn’t streak across the stage so much as he scooted with an envelope held strategically over his front. “Costumes … they are so important,” he reflected. But was he actually naked? In an interview with Oscars producer Molly McNearney from Variety and some BTS pics, Cena was wearing a modesty pouch strategically covering his behind from showing anything that would send standards and practices into a panic attack. She explains, “A bulge cannot be showing, and you can’t show crack. It was also, ’What happens if he drops that card?’ So, we made sure that, for all intents and purposes, he looked like a Ken doll up front. His crack was covered in the back and then the envelope was Velcro-ed on there so it wouldn’t fall. But beyond that, he was naked.” Vulture was on the scene to witness a behind-the-scenes crew sprinting up to give him some clothes, and now we got confirmation that Cena got (S&P approved) butt naked just to, uh, crack a joke. He was definitely feeling pretty cheeky.
This post has been updated throughout.
