So John Cena was naked at the Oscars. Really. He came out to present Best Costume Design in his birthday suit in a goofy reference to the 50th anniversary of the Oscars streaker at the 46th Academy Awards. The problem is that Cena instantly regretted agreeing to this, and hid behind some stage decor while bickering with host Jimmy Kimmel.
It was one of those broad Oscars bits that we haven’t seen in recent years. For the most part, the awards show sticks to regular presenting or jokes that normally don’t go over well. This time, we all were suddenly screaming about a naked John Cena.
This is thanks, in no small part, to Cena’s diehard commitment to the bit. He stood onstage wearing only Birkenstocks and a carefully placed envelope before stagehands threw a robe on him for the rest of the segment.
And look, we all know that if anyone is going to commit to hilarious nudity, it’s John Cena.
How did John Cena become one of the funniest performers onscreen? The man is keeping the raunchy comedy genre alive singlehandedly. It’s no coincidence that his latest comedy, Ricky Stanicky, premiered this weekend on Prime Video. If you love Cena in comedy mode, then you’ve got to watch Blockers and Peacemaker.
Cena’s stunt brings attention to an often-overlooked category. Was he standing in Birks because of Barbie or did he just think they were comfy? Either way, seeing this level of commitment to a bit at the Academy Awards is instantly iconic.
(featured image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
