"Life was tough": John Cena opens up about defending his brother when they were kids

John Cena recently appeared on the Armchair Expert Podcast on April 8, 2024, where he opened up on some sensitive issues.

Cena's brother Stephen was gay and the former recalled the time when he was struggling to live a normal life. Cena addressed the battle that Stephen had to fight over the years and said:

"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."

Cena was the second child of parents Caril and John, and apart from Stephen, he had three more siblings.

Furthermore, Cena also spoke about Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel in the same interview and said:

"You have two very alpha, driven people. You get two, there can only be one."

The actor was last seen as Rod in the comedy-drama film, Ricky Stanicky and is known for his portrayal of Jakob in two Fast & Furious films.

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John Cena reveals how he supported his brother over the years

John Cena said he began protecting Stephen at the age of 10. He added that they spent a lot of time with each other during childhood and had the freedom to do anything they wanted to.

"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."

John Cena continued by saying that there was a time when he and Stephen began developing a close friendship with teenage groups. However, Cena also began taking a different position for his siblings as he told others:

"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 even spoke about how his brother felt over the years as he grew up, adding that there were a few instances where he lost some fights while trying to save his brother.

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John Cena has always shown his support towards LGBT over the years

In 2013, when wrestler Darren Young came out as gay, Cena praised Young as he appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

The 12 Rounds star stated that he does not "judge" anyone for being themselves. He continued:

"Darren is really good at his job, he's a wonderful performer, he's a great entertainer and it's a very, very bold move that he made to come out. So he certainly is very a brave individual for doing that."

John Cena has two projects coming up, including Grand Death Lotto and Heads of State. He even reprised his role as Jakob Toretto in Fast X, and while the character's fate was not revealed at the end of the film, Cena has not officially stated anything about his return in the 11th installment.

Fast & Furious 11 will also be the final entry in the franchise as confirmed by Vin Diesel on February 24, 2024, through Instagram. He wrote at the time that there was a meeting with the writers and that the finale would mark the "celebration of the incredible family we've built together."