Yahoo News Fully Naked John Cena Presents The Most Ironic Academy Award
John Cena paid tribute to one of the most infamous moments in Academy Awards history by baring (almost) all at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony.
Before Cena’s appearance, host Jimmy Kimmel recalled the 1974 streaking incident in which a man identified as Robert Opel ran across the stage naked, as actor David Niven was preparing to introduce Elizabeth Taylor.
“Can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today?” Kimmel asked, just as Cena’s head popped up from behind a set piece at one of the stage’s wings.
Though the actor and wrester said he’d been prepared to take part in a “streaker bit,” he told Kimmel he’d changed his mind.
“The male body is not a joke,” he proclaimed.
After Kimmel pointed out that wrestling gear left very little to the imagination, an apprehensive-looking Cena took the stage in just a pair of Birkenstock sandals, with an envelope containing the winner for Best Costume Design concealing his naughty bits.
“Costumes, they are so important. Maybe the most important thing there is,” Cena told the crowd, adding: “I can’t open the envelope.”
With an assist from Kimmel and a few stage hands who quickly dressed him in a garment that appeared to be a cross between drapes and a toga, he was able to present the Oscar to “Poor Things.”
Cena, whose Hollywood credits include “Trainwreck” and “Argylle,” has a small role as a “Kenmaid” in “Barbie,” which was nominated for eight Academy Awards.
Appearing on “The Howard Stern Show” last month, Cena shared that he’d been advised not to accept the part, given that his screen time is relatively brief.
“I think the perspective from an agency standpoint was, ‘This is beneath you,’ which I get that,” he said. “But also, to the agency’s credit, immediately they acquiesced, and I was like, ‘No, we’re going to do it.’”
Watch John Cena’s Best Costume Design presentation below.
