John Cena on stage during the presentation of the Oscar for Costume Design on stage during the Oscars show at the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Wrestling star John Cena left the audience at the 96th Academy Awards in fits as he stepped on the stage to present the award for best costume design, naked.
Cena presented the award to Poor Things as he entered the stage naked, except for a well placed envelope.
It was all a part of a script that meant to take the audience back to one of the craziest moments in the history of the prestigious award show.
"Can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today?" Kimmel asked the audience in what came as the run-up-to the 'big reveal'. However, soon John Cena popped his head out from the back of the stage appearing naked.
“I changed my mind. I don’t want to do the streaker bit,” Cena told Kimmel. “I just don’t feel right about it. It’s an elegant event, you know, you should feel shame right now for suggesting such a tasteless joke.”
However, Cena did end up coming to the stage to present the award almost naked.
At the Oscars ceremony 50 years ago, a man ran across the stage naked flashing a peace sign behind actor David Niven, a legendary piece of Academy Awards history that host Kimmel said he wanted to commemorate.
To celebrate the anniversary, John Cena walked on stage wearing nothing but the envelope containing the name of the winner of the best costume Oscar.
"Costumes are so important," Cena deadpanned. "Maybe the most important thing there is."
In other news from the event, R-rated biographical drama Oppenheimer dominated the 96th edition of the Oscars, winning seven awards out of 13 nominations including top honours of best picture and director for Christopher Nolan, his first.
It was also a night of firsts for other members of the Oppenheimer team with Cillian Murphy (best actor), Robert Downey Jr (best supporting actor), Hoyte van Hoytema (best cinematography), and Jennifer Lame (best film editing) bagging their maiden Oscars.
The Academy Award for best actress went to Emma Stone for Poor Things as she bested frontrunner Lily Gladstone of Killers of the Flower Moon. This is Stone's second best actress Oscar after her 2017 win for La La Land.
(With Reuters, PTI inputs)