John Cena appeared nearly nude at the Oscars, and as it turns out, the executives were very careful with how much skin he showed.
Speaking with Michael Schneider of Variety, Walt Disney Television executive VP Rob Mills discussed Cena’s appearance and noted that a lot of thought went into it.
“We made sure that, for all intents and purposes, he looked like a Ken doll up front,” Mills said. “[Cena’s] crack 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.”
Mills cited the Federal Communication Commission’s rules about live TV and stated that “a bulge cannot be showing, and you can’t show crack.” Mills also noted that they had to ponder what could happen if Cena dropped the card he was holding.
VP Says Executives Were ‘Sweating’ Over The Amount Of Skin John Cena Could Show
Mills went on to note that the amount of Cena’s skin they could show on television was debated by producers of the ceremony and the FCC due to a potential fine and complaints. Per Oscars producer Molly McNearney, the standards and practices executives were sweating about the situation.
“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,” McNearney said. “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.”
McNearney also noted that the buz about Cena’s appearance was the goal, even if it’s not what the FCC’s standards and practices team wanted.
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