John Cena appeared naked on the Oscars stage while presenting the award for best costume design to “Poor Things.” It was all part of a bit that paid homage to one of the craziest moments in the history of the Academy Awards when a naked man ran on stage at the 46th Oscars in 1974 while David Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor. It was at the height of the ’70s streaking fan, when nude people frequently interrupted public events.
Can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today?” Kimmel asked the Oscars audience after remembering the infamous moment. “I said, can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today? Wouldn’t that be crazy?”
Kimmel was clearly setting up a bit where a streaker would run across the stage during the 2024 ceremony. That’s when a shirtless John Cena popped his head out from the corner of the stage.
“I changed my mind. I don’t want to do the streaker bit,” Cena told Kimmel. “I just don’t feel right about it. It’s an elegant event, you know, you should feel shame right now for suggesting such a tasteless joke.”
Kimmel said the bit was “supposed to be funny,” to which Cena hilariously responded, “The male body is not a joke!”
Cena did end up coming onstage with nothing but a large envelope covering his private parts. The audience roared with laughter. Since he couldn’t move the envelope to open it, there was a quick cut and he re-appeared wearing a curtain-like golden toga.
Cena has a connection to this year’s Oscars thanks to his cameo in “Barbie,” which is nominated for eight Academy Awards. He revealed on “The Howard Stern Show” a few weeks before the Oscars that an agency advised him not to appear in “Barbie” in a cameo.
“[The agency is] just going on what they know,” Cena said. “And what they know is, ‘This entity, this commodity gravitates toward these things, we should stay in this lane.’ But I’m not a commodity. I’m a human being, and I operate under the construct of every opportunity is an opportunity.”
“I think the perspective from an agency standpoint was, ‘This is beneath you,’ which I get that,” he continued. “But also to the agency’s credit, immediately they acquiesced, and I was like, ‘No we’re going to do it,’ but all they can do is offer their guidance.. They’re not ultimately making the choice. And their guidance is… ‘Truly trickle down economics from this may take you out of these lead lap slots.’ And I get all that. I’ve always operated under the philosophy that good work gets you another chance.”
Cena currently stars in Peter Farrelly’s comedy “Ricky Stanicky” opposite Zac Efron, Jermaine Fowler and Andrew Santino. The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
From Variety US