John Cena Opens Up About Defending Gay Older Brother As Kids

Actor USA

2024-04-16
11:52

You won’t see him lacking!

Former pro wrestler and actor John Cena has opened up about his childhood with his gay older brother.

In an interview with the ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast, the 46-year-old actor recalled how he used to defend his older brother, Steve, when they were kids.

Cena divulged that he learned “how to lose a few fights” growing up in Massachusetts while fighting off homophobic bullies on behalf of Steve, who was still in the closet at the time.

“I really feel for what it must have been like for him growing up. But I also inherited that chapter of his social constructs,” he said.

Dax Shepherd, the podcast host, then asked the actor if there was a “role reversal” between him and Steve, saying that “conventionally, you would hope your older brother would step in to defend you.”

Cena then said that he felt a sense of protectiveness over his brother which started at 10 years old for him. The actor said that he did not understand what was going on, but they always hung out with each other. Cena noted that there were enough of them to do whatever they wanted, so they did not feel the need for anybody else.

Despite that, Cena said he tended to fight almost daily for his brothers when he was about 12 or 13.

“Every day, man, I got my ass kicked — or at the very least it was a strong nudge so I go tumbling down the hill again,” Cena said. “Yes, I never fought back, but I never acquiesced.”

Cena cited that as the reason for dedicating himself to weightlifting as a teenager.

“It took a whole lot of perseverance and a lot of failure and losing fights, but yeah, eventually they stopped,” Cena said. “Eventually they got another target, I guess.”

Now, that’s a true ally!

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