The Oscars producers said they had to cover John Cena up 'like a Ken doll' for his nearly nude segment at the awards show

• John Cena appeared to present an award at the Oscars while naked — although he wasn't fully nude.
• The show's producers said they made sure he "looked like a Ken doll" for his stage segment.

John Cena had a supposed nude segment at the Oscars on Sunday, and the show's producers said they had to cover his private parts "like a Ken doll" so they wouldn't run afoul of broadcasting standards.

The 2024 Academy Awards was broadcast on ABC, and the network's standards and practices team initially wanted it to be obvious that Cena was not naked, Walt Disney TV alternative head Rob Mills told Variety.

However, the producers of the awards show managed to push things as far as they were allowed, he said.

"A bulge cannot be showing, and you can't show crack," Mills said. "It was also, 'What happens if he drops that card?' So, we made sure that, for all intents and purposes, he looked like a Ken doll up front."

The team also covered Cena up in the back and Velcro-ed the giant envelope to his front so that it wouldn't fall, Mills said.

Oscars producer Molly McNearney also told Variety that Cena's segment was rehearsed on a closed set so that it would be a surprise.

"They were sweating," McNearney said, referring to the network's standards and practices team. "I think at the end we all got to a spot where we were comfortable, S&P was comfortable, and it didn't compromise the comedy a bit. I was very thankful that we didn't have to send him out there in tighty whities, which I'm sure legal would have preferred."

Cena's naked stage moment was meant to be a nod to the famous streaker incident at the 1974 Oscars, when a naked man ran behind the host David Niven as he introduced Elizabeth Taylor to present the award for best picture.

In a recent interview with People, Cena said that he always tries to be committed to the characters he portrays.

"You have to do those embarrassing moments on screen where you're asked to give of yourself and be vulnerable — 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 said.