Jimmy Kimmel Speaks Out About Trump, Naked Cena, Ryan Gosling & More
After hosting Sunday’s (March 10) 96th Academy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late-night show on Monday (March 11) to share his insights on the ceremony, including that memorable John Cena skit.
Kimmel mentioned a few of his favorite moments from the night, including Ryan Gosling‘s “I’m Just Ken” performance and Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s pronunciation of the word ‘Godzilla.’ But his highlight was Cena’s shocking naked appearance.
The Peacemaker actor took to the stage in the buff to present the award for Best Costume, with only a small envelope covering his private parts. The moment went down a storm with the live audience and viewers at home, but Kimmel explained that ABC executives were “terrified” by it.
“Getting this on the air… of all the times I’ve hosted the Oscars or the Emmys or anything, no comedy bit has ever received more scrutiny than this,” Kimmel shared, per Deadline.
John Cena strips down to present the award for Best Costume Design at the 2024 Oscars. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
He continued, “There were meetings and site meetings, emails and texts and phone calls and people sweating. Somebody was crying. Then, once they realized we weren’t going to take no for an answer, there was intense discussion about the size of the envelope and whether we needed to velcro it to John’s body.”
Kimmel then revealed the envelope the network wanted Cena to use, which, as the host said, “was too big.” In the end, Kimmel and his team got their way, and Cena was able to use the regular envelope, which did the job of covering the former WWE Champion’s nether region.
“I’d say congratulations, John Cena,” Kimmel added. “The commotion you caused. Very rarely does an idea literally push the envelope, and this one did.”
The late-night host also brought up that Donald Trump moment; at the end of the ceremony, Kimmel read out a Truth Social post from the former President where he ranted about the Oscars.
“It kind of tells you all you need to know about Donald Trump,” Kimmel said. “He wrote this because he was upset I didn’t mention him on the show. No one mentioned him on the show. He wasn’t getting any attention; he couldn’t stand it. And so then the Adderall McFlurry kicked in and he went right on.”
He continued, “I wasn’t planning to mention him at all. We were backstage, the show was almost over and one of the other writers was like, ‘Hey, look at this.’ And to quote Al Pacino, just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. I had to read it.”
“It’s funny,” Kimmel added. “We had John Cena on stage naked, and somehow Donald Trump still managed to be the biggest d*** of the night.”
