John Cena Addresses Being Called an ‘Oddball’ For Not Wanting Children

John Cena is once again explaining his stance on not wanting children after being labeled an “oddball” for his life decision.

During his recent appearance on Trevor Noah’s What Now? podcast, the former WWE star spoke about potential fatherhood.

“Just because someone thinks I would be good at something, is that reason enough to do it?” he asked. “It is not a commitment where, if four months in, I’m like, ‘You know, this wasn’t my thing.’”

Continuing to speak about his long-standing thoughts about not being a parent, Cena stated, “Those who envision, like, ‘Man, I wish I had a father figure like [me] ’—the time I’ve had to live life is how I’ve developed the wisdom [and] how I’ve developed the nuance because I’m here, I’m present. When I’m here with you guys, my wife is curious and independent, and we love each other, and we respect our space.”

Cena and his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh, have been married since 2020. The duo notably discussed his stance on not having children during their first date.

As he discussed his marriage, Cena shared, “She’s doing something in New York, and I have no fear in what she’s doing, and I have full trust in what she’s doing, which allows me to be here with you guys fully to maybe learn something to develop maybe another layer of the onion. It’s the time without those commitments that have led me to be who I am.”

“The thing that makes this question so difficult is I’m on the wrong side of the math. Everybody has kids. Well, that’s not necessarily true, but a majority of the folks do,” he continued. “They aspire to, so because I don’t want to, I’m an ‘oddball.’”

Cena pointed out that he wants to be in his own “lane in life.”

“I understand that that is not the majority,” he acknowledged. “Living in that small bracket, you have to answer a lot of questions, and that’s OK.”

Despite the constant questions about his decision, Cena hasn’t changed his mind about how he feels about not having children.

“I’ll state my claim on the fact that I’ve been able to absorb all of these moments without my attention being split or fractured,” he added. “[Which] has led me to be the man I am today. I look at the guy in the mirror and he ain’t perfect. [There are] tons of flaws, but I love that dude. I’m super at peace, and I still want to do more and experience more.”