Oscars Producer Says Execs Were “Sweating” John Cena’s Naked Awards Appearance

John Cena was on hand at the 96th Academy Awards to present Best Costume Design. While previous presenters of the award often decide to dress the part, Cena opted to do the opposite. Cena didn’t wear a costume to present the award, no. In fact, Cena didn’t wear anything at all; he effectively took the stage butt-naked in an Oscars moment that won’t be forgotten for quite some time. It’s something the producers of the Oscars labored and worried over for quite some time.

“I’m going to educate you a little here,” Disney’s executive vice president of unscripted programming Rob Mills said in a post-gala interview with Variety. “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.”

Molly McNeary, another producer on the show, added network Standards & Practices officials wanted to make it blatantly obvious Cena wasn’t actually nude the live broadcast.

“They were sweating,” she added. “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.”

Was John Cena actually naked at the Oscars?

Not entirely. As Mills pointed out, Cena was fitted with a device that covered his private areas. They also made sure the card was fixed to the device so that Cena didn’t accidentally drop it.

“[A debate was to whether Cena was actually naked] was what I wanted!” McNearney added. “Maybe it’s not what [S&P] wanted. That’s definitely what I want!”