John Cena Faces Backlash Over Response To Vince McMahon Lawsuit

John Cena found himself at the centre of a backlash on social media following his comments about the allegations levelled at Vince McMahon. 

McMahon was accused of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and physical and emotional abuse in a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant. WWE were also accused of attempting to cover up the allegations against McMahon, while John Laurinaitis was accused of sexual assault. The allegations led to McMahon's resignation as TKO Executive Chairman, although he remains a major shareholder with the company. 

Cena has since appeared on the Howard Stern Show and after Stern called the allegations "hot water", Cena was asked how he handles the situation. 

"I don't think it's complicated to talk about. It's complicated to listen to. That's why I don't necessarily put a lot of time and equity into it. There's still a long way to go. I can say this, I'm a big advocate of love and friendship and honesty, and communication, in the same breath, I'm also a big advocate of accountability. If someone's behaviour lies so far outside of your value system that the balance shifts of, 'I can't operate in a world where this works.' That's the end result of being accountable. Right now, I'm gonna love the person I love, be their friend. 'I love you, you have a hill to climb.' There is the saying of, 'You don't know who your friends are until s**t hits the fan or your back is against the wall,'" Cena stated.

"That doesn't make any of what's going on any easier to swallow. Just telling someone you love them, it's a hill to climb, and we'll see what happens.' That's that. It sounds so cliche, but it has to be one day at a time. I've openly said, I love the guy, I have a great relationship with the guy, and that's that. It's largely my construct of operating with honesty and communication. Those are strong leads to handling any problem or achievement. The whole thing is super unfortunate and it sucks. It deals with an individual I love and an entity I love. I want everyone to have the experience that I have. Not only do I tell a friend that I love them, but I switch to the entity and say, 'How can I help?'"

Cena's comments were immediately met with disgust on social media and he ended up trending on X (FKA Twitter), such was the backlash to the 16-time world champion's answer. Many have called Cena's comments tone-deaf due to the seriousness of the allegations, while others have accused him of lacking empathy. 

When Cena was asked about the sexual assault allegations that emerged against Vince McMahon in 2022, he said in part: "When you love somebody, you take them as imperfectly perfect as they are. We all make mistakes, we all have poor decisions."

Cena is currently away from WWE, having returned to Hollywood. He recently noted he will be retired from pro wrestling by April 2027.

H/T Fightful