John Cena Says Filming Sex Scenes Are ‘The Worst’ but Nothing Beats His Naked Oscars Bit

John Cena is embarrassed by his public displays of nudity.

When asked about filming sex scenes, the WWE wrestler-turned-actor, 47, told the “Club Shay Shay“ podcast, “Oh my god, it’s the worst.”

“There are so many people you need to make a movie,” Cena explained on the Wednesday, August 21 edition of the show. “There’s nothing intimate about it. Nothing. Like it’s really embarrassing.”

He recalled getting undressed for an intimate scene with Amy Schumer in the 2015 rom-com Trainwreck. “On top of that, to do a comedic sex scene, where you’re like, making fun of yourself? They literally [said] ‘Try to have the most awkward sex you possibly can,’” he said. “I don’t want to say it sucks, but it’s different than you all think it was.”

But for Cena, an awkward sex scene did not compare to his mortification at presenting the trophy for best costume design — while nearly naked — at the 2024 Academy Awards.

“I got all the people behind the camera, but then I walk out in front of a room of my peers, many of which I’ve never met because I haven’t worked my way up to meet [them],” he said. “I have the most decorated performers, producers, directors in one room and I’m gonna go out there with my balls in the wind, with an index card covering my stuff like, ‘Hey guys, is this funny? Are we good?’”

Host Jimmy Kimmel had recruited Cena for a skit spoofing the infamous moment at the 1974 Oscars, when a streaker ran on stage past that year’s emcee, David Niven.

“Can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today? I said, can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today? Wouldn’t that be crazy?” Kimmel, 56, told the audience.

With hilariously perfect comic timing, the cameras then panned to Cena as he hid behind the set design. After Kimmel questioned why Cena didn’t “run across the stage,” Cena said he “changed his mind” about their streaker bit.

“I just don’t feel right about it,” he quipped. “It’s an elegant event. You should feel shame right now for suggesting such a tasteless idea. The male body is not a joke.”

In Wednesday’s “Club Shay Shay” appearance, Cena — who will retire from the WWE in 2025 —  revealed that he could not resist Kimmel’s powers of persuasion in getting him to commit to the bit. 

“Jimmy Kimmel called me personally and was like, ‘I need you to come to the Oscars.’ And he’s like, ‘Just let me send you the bit.’ And he sent it on paper and I called him back, like, ‘When do you need me there?’”