John Cena at the Academy Awards March 10.Photo:Frank Micelotta/Disney via GettyJohn Cenaleft little to the imagination whileonstageatthe Oscarson Sunday. But according to a show producer, the presenter’s nudity stuck to the most precise possible specifications.“We made sure that, for all intents and purposes, he looked like aKen dollup front,” Walt Disney Television executive VP Rob Mills toldVariety.Cena’s “crack,” he added, “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.”Per Mills, “a bulge cannot be showing, and you can’t show crack” when it comes to the Federal Communications Commission’s rules about what can be shown on live television. “It was also, ’What happens if he drops that card?’ ”The wrestler-actor, 46 — who, fittingly enough,starred inthe hitBarbieas aKen doll merman— joined ceremony hostJimmy Kimmelonstage for an homage to the infamous onstage streaker of the 1974Oscars. Appearing au naturel to present the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, the Birkenstock sandal-clad Cena had only the category’s envelope covering his crotch.John Cena backstage at the Academy Awards March 10.Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via GettyAccording to Mills, the exact amount of Cena’s skin to be shown was a subject of contention between ABC ceremony producers and the FCC. “There was a lot of reticence of not just a fine from the FCC, but potential complaints,” the producer said.The standards and practices executives “were sweating” according toMolly McNearney.“I think at the end we all got to a spot where we were comfortable, S&P [standards and practices] was comfortable, and it didn’t compromise the comedy a bit,” said McNearney, an executive producer of the Oscars ceremony andJimmy Kimmel Live!“I was very thankful that we didn’t have to send [Cena] out there in tighty whities, which I’m sure legal would have preferred.”When theRicky Stanickystarappeared onstage with only the envelope, social media was abuzz with debates about how much, if any, clothing was behind it.“That’s what I wanted!” McNearney toldVariety. “Maybe it’s not what [the FCC’s standards and practices team] wanted. That’s definitely what I want!”Jimmy Kimmel and John Cena at the Academy Awards March 10.Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesThe 2024 Oscar for Best Costume Design went toHolly WaddingtonofPoor Things. Cena handed her the trophy in a makeshift toga that was hastily tied on during the category’s presentation montage.“You have to do those embarrassing moments on screen where you’re asked to give of yourself and be vulnerable,” Cena recentlytold PEOPLE, “whether it’s dressed as a merman, whether it’s in your tighty whities or in a Britney Spears outfit — you’ve got to wholeheartedly commit.”He added that often, “confidence and foolish courage is all you need.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.John Cena and Holly Waddington backstage at the Academy Awards March 10.Richard Harbaugh/A.M.P.A.S. via GettyAnother viral moment during the 96th Oscars — supporting actor nomineeRyan Gosling’sshow-stopping and star-studded rendition of “I’m Just Ken”fromBarbie— was in the works for months, according to Mills.“You could just see in every rehearsal and everything that this was a moment he never wanted to miss,” he toldVariety.AlthoughBarbiedid not receive the Oscar for costume design, it totaled eight nominations at Sunday’s 96th Academy Awards. TheGreta Gerwig-directed movie ultimately won in theBest Original Song categoryforBillie EilishandFinneas' song “What Was I Made For?”
John Cena at the Academy Awards March 10.Photo:Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty
Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty
John Cenaleft little to the imagination whileonstageatthe Oscarson Sunday. But according to a show producer, the presenter’s nudity stuck to the most precise possible specifications.“We made sure that, for all intents and purposes, he looked like aKen dollup front,” Walt Disney Television executive VP Rob Mills toldVariety.Cena’s “crack,” he added, “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.”Per Mills, “a bulge cannot be showing, and you can’t show crack” when it comes to the Federal Communications Commission’s rules about what can be shown on live television. “It was also, ’What happens if he drops that card?’ ”The wrestler-actor, 46 — who, fittingly enough,starred inthe hitBarbieas aKen doll merman— joined ceremony hostJimmy Kimmelonstage for an homage to the infamous onstage streaker of the 1974Oscars. Appearing au naturel to present the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, the Birkenstock sandal-clad Cena had only the category’s envelope covering his crotch.John Cena backstage at the Academy Awards March 10.Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via GettyAccording to Mills, the exact amount of Cena’s skin to be shown was a subject of contention between ABC ceremony producers and the FCC. “There was a lot of reticence of not just a fine from the FCC, but potential complaints,” the producer said.The standards and practices executives “were sweating” according toMolly McNearney.“I think at the end we all got to a spot where we were comfortable, S&P [standards and practices] was comfortable, and it didn’t compromise the comedy a bit,” said McNearney, an executive producer of the Oscars ceremony andJimmy Kimmel Live!“I was very thankful that we didn’t have to send [Cena] out there in tighty whities, which I’m sure legal would have preferred.”When theRicky Stanickystarappeared onstage with only the envelope, social media was abuzz with debates about how much, if any, clothing was behind it.“That’s what I wanted!” McNearney toldVariety. “Maybe it’s not what [the FCC’s standards and practices team] wanted. That’s definitely what I want!”Jimmy Kimmel and John Cena at the Academy Awards March 10.Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesThe 2024 Oscar for Best Costume Design went toHolly WaddingtonofPoor Things. Cena handed her the trophy in a makeshift toga that was hastily tied on during the category’s presentation montage.“You have to do those embarrassing moments on screen where you’re asked to give of yourself and be vulnerable,” Cena recentlytold PEOPLE, “whether it’s dressed as a merman, whether it’s in your tighty whities or in a Britney Spears outfit — you’ve got to wholeheartedly commit.”He added that often, “confidence and foolish courage is all you need.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.John Cena and Holly Waddington backstage at the Academy Awards March 10.Richard Harbaugh/A.M.P.A.S. via GettyAnother viral moment during the 96th Oscars — supporting actor nomineeRyan Gosling’sshow-stopping and star-studded rendition of “I’m Just Ken”fromBarbie— was in the works for months, according to Mills.“You could just see in every rehearsal and everything that this was a moment he never wanted to miss,” he toldVariety.AlthoughBarbiedid not receive the Oscar for costume design, it totaled eight nominations at Sunday’s 96th Academy Awards. TheGreta Gerwig-directed movie ultimately won in theBest Original Song categoryforBillie EilishandFinneas' song “What Was I Made For?”
John Cenaleft little to the imagination whileonstageatthe Oscarson Sunday. But according to a show producer, the presenter’s nudity stuck to the most precise possible specifications.
“We made sure that, for all intents and purposes, he looked like aKen dollup front,” Walt Disney Television executive VP Rob Mills toldVariety.
Cena’s “crack,” he added, “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.”
Per Mills, “a bulge cannot be showing, and you can’t show crack” when it comes to the Federal Communications Commission’s rules about what can be shown on live television. “It was also, ’What happens if he drops that card?’ ”
The wrestler-actor, 46 — who, fittingly enough,starred inthe hitBarbieas aKen doll merman— joined ceremony hostJimmy Kimmelonstage for an homage to the infamous onstage streaker of the 1974Oscars. Appearing au naturel to present the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, the Birkenstock sandal-clad Cena had only the category’s envelope covering his crotch.
John Cena backstage at the Academy Awards March 10.Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty
Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty
According to Mills, the exact amount of Cena’s skin to be shown was a subject of contention between ABC ceremony producers and the FCC. “There was a lot of reticence of not just a fine from the FCC, but potential complaints,” the producer said.
The standards and practices executives “were sweating” according toMolly McNearney.
“I think at the end we all got to a spot where we were comfortable, S&P [standards and practices] was comfortable, and it didn’t compromise the comedy a bit,” said McNearney, an executive producer of the Oscars ceremony andJimmy Kimmel Live!
“I was very thankful that we didn’t have to send [Cena] out there in tighty whities, which I’m sure legal would have preferred.”
When theRicky Stanickystarappeared onstage with only the envelope, social media was abuzz with debates about how much, if any, clothing was behind it.
“That’s what I wanted!” McNearney toldVariety. “Maybe it’s not what [the FCC’s standards and practices team] wanted. That’s definitely what I want!”
Jimmy Kimmel and John Cena at the Academy Awards March 10.Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
The 2024 Oscar for Best Costume Design went toHolly WaddingtonofPoor Things. Cena handed her the trophy in a makeshift toga that was hastily tied on during the category’s presentation montage.
“You have to do those embarrassing moments on screen where you’re asked to give of yourself and be vulnerable,” Cena recentlytold PEOPLE, “whether it’s dressed as a merman, whether it’s in your tighty whities or in a Britney Spears outfit — you’ve got to wholeheartedly commit.”
He added that often, “confidence and foolish courage is all you need.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
John Cena and Holly Waddington backstage at the Academy Awards March 10.Richard Harbaugh/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty
Richard Harbaugh/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty
Another viral moment during the 96th Oscars — supporting actor nomineeRyan Gosling’sshow-stopping and star-studded rendition of “I’m Just Ken”fromBarbie— was in the works for months, according to Mills.
“You could just see in every rehearsal and everything that this was a moment he never wanted to miss,” he toldVariety.
AlthoughBarbiedid not receive the Oscar for costume design, it totaled eight nominations at Sunday’s 96th Academy Awards. TheGreta Gerwig-directed movie ultimately won in theBest Original Song categoryforBillie EilishandFinneas' song “What Was I Made For?”
source: people.com
