Jimmy Kimmel tried, but failed, to convince the action star to streak onstage at the Academy Awards.
John Cena stripped down to his birthday suit to present at the 96th Academy Awards and it was glorious.
The 46-year-old actor was part of a bit with Jimmy Kimmel, who shared that it was the 50th anniversary of when Robert Opel faked his way into the 46th Academy Awards in 1974 and streaked across the stage and ran past David Niven, who was in the middle of introducing Elizabeth Taylor.
After sharing the infamous streaking story, Kimmel teased, "Can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today?" which elicited laughter from the crowd. But Kimmel wasn't done yet and he asked the question again, albeit with more emphasis this time around.
"I said, can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today? Wouldn't that be crazy?"
Just then, Cena poked his head out from behind the stage design decor.
"Psst! Psst! Jimmy!" loudly whispered a shy Cena. "Come here."
"I can't come there -- do the thing!" Kimmel quips. "What's going on? You're supposed to run across the stage?
Cena said he changed his mind, adding that he wasn't as into the "tasteless idea" anymore because "the male body is not a joke."
"Mine is," Kimmel quipped.
After Kimmel tells him that wrestling with jorts is worse than being naked, Cena relents and slowly shuffles his way onto the stage seemingly naked with just the envelope covering his most intimate area.
"Costumes -- they are so important," Cena says, which drew laughter from the crowd. "Maybe the most important thing there is."
One problem though -- Cena couldn't open the envelope to announce the Best Costume Design category without exposing himself, prompting Kimmel to return to the stage and read the nominees.
After the nominees were read, Cena reappeared wearing a massive curtain as a dress.
The Oscar, by the way, went to Holly Waddington for Poor Things.
As for how the 1974 streaker made it onto the stage? Legend has it he faked his way into the event by pretending to be a journalist.
The 2024 Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, airs live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 10, at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on ABC. Follow along at ETonline.com for full Oscars coverage, including red carpet arrivals, the complete winners list and more.
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