John Cena made a memorable appearance during Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, walking onto the stage completely nude, save for the presenter’s card, which he used to cover his genitalia.
The Ricky Stanicky actor and former WWE star participated in a bit with Jimmy Kimmel. Host Kimmel showed an old clip of a real streaker who interrupted the 1974 Oscars broadcast and then prompted Cena to streak across the stage.
When Cena played coy, Kimmel teased that he should be comfortable doing the stunt because he wrestles naked. “Dude, I don’t wrestle naked, I wrestle in jorts,” Cena rebutted.
“Jorts are worse than naked,” Kimmel replied.
The host told him to go ahead and present the award, which was, fittingly, for best costume design.
The 46-year-old muscle man awkwardly shuffled across the stage, trying to keep the card in front of his private parts. When he got to the microphone, Cena said sheepishly, “Costumes are ... so important,” prompting big laughter from the star-studded audience.
As Cena was truly unable to open the presenter’s card, Kimmel came back out and helped him present the award.
Ultimately, Poor Things designer Holly Waddington took home the award. When cameras cut back to Cena to share the winners, he was already draped in a curtain-like dress to protect his modesty. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
