John Cena reflects on defending his gay brother when they were kids: ‘It’s going to stop here’
The actor and WWE wrestler revisited his childhood during an appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast
By Callum Wells
John Cena has reflected on defending his gay brother, Steve, in small-town Massachusetts – and how quickly he stepped into a protective role.
The actor and WWE wrestler, who has long been vocal in his support of the LGBTQ+ community, revisited his childhood during an appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast.
With five boys in the Cena household, Steve was the eldest. But as John explained, his brother stood out in ways that often made life difficult.
“I really feel for what it must have been like for him growing up” – John Cena on his brother, Steve
“My brother was like a true nerd, and this is at the height of the 1980s, like Revenge of the Nerds,” he said. “[But] our town wasn’t yet at the Revenge of the Nerds sort of state. Life was tough for my brother in high school. Not only was he an introvert and interested in computers. He’s also gay. And being gay in the 1980s in a small town in Massachusetts… man, that’s an uphill climb. He just had a lot of character traits that weren’t in the ‘cool kid’ group, and he’s also holding this secret that he can’t tell or talk to anybody about.”
Reflecting on that time, Cena admitted: “I really feel for what it must have been like for him growing up. But I also inherited that chapter of his social constructs. And, man, it got me to learn how to lose a few fights [laughs].”
Shepard pressed on whether there was a “role reversal” between the two brothers, noting that older siblings are usually expected to be the protectors. Cena confirmed that his instincts kicked in when he was still in primary school.
Public allyship throughout his career
He said, “That sort of behaviour started like at 10 years old for me. I don’t think I understood what was going on. Kids are harsh. They form cliques real fast. And we always just hung out with each other. There was enough of us to have a basketball team, which means we could do whatever we want. We want to play football or baseball, there’s enough of us. So we didn’t feel [that] we needed anybody else. If we could make it through school and get back to the house, all is fine.”
As they grew older and developed separate circles of friends, John still made sure Steve knew he had someone in his corner. He remembered: “I took on the role of, ‘Hey, if you say something to the younger brothers, I will do my best to throw myself in harm’s way. It’s going to stop here.’”
Cena’s relationship with Steve has informed his public allyship throughout his career. One notable moment came in 2013, when WWE star Darren Young came out as gay. Confronted with a string of questions from TMZ about sharing a locker room with an out wrestler, Cena cut the speculation short, pointing out that his brother is gay.