John Cena's nude Oscars stunt was met with backlash before the ceremony even began.
John Cena's naked moment caused chaos behind the scenes
The WWE superstar and 'Ricky Stanicky' actor caused a stir at the Academy Awards over the weekend as he appeared naked in a nod to the infamous 1974 Oscars streaker, and Walt Disney executive Rob Mills - who was involved in the production of the show - has weighed in on the battle to get it on air.
He told Variety: "There was a lot of reticence of not just a fine from the FCC, but potential complaints.”
The Standards and Practices team wanted producers to make it absolutely clear the 46-year-old actor wasn't actually naked, but bosses were keen to find a compromise.
Mills added: "I’m going to educate you a little here. A bulge cannot be showing, and you can’t show crack. It was also, ’What happens if he drops that card?’
"So, we made sure that, for all intents and purposes, he looked like a Ken doll up front.
"His 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.”
Producer Molly McNearney - who also works on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live', which is hosted by her husband - admitted the discussions behind the scenes were intense.
Referencing Standards and Practices bosses, she said: “They were sweating.
“I think at the end we all got to a spot where we were comfortable, S P was comfortable, and it didn’t compromise the comedy a bit.
"I was very thankful that we didn’t have to send him out there in tighty whities, which I’m sure legal would have preferred.”
She also acknowledged the online debate regarding whether or not the Hollywood megastar was actually nude behind the envelope, and admitted that was her goal.
She added: "That’s what I wanted! Maybe it’s not what [S+P] wanted. That’s definitely what I want!”
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