Jimmy Kimmel explains why John Cena’s naked appearance on Oscars stage almost didn't happen

Jimmy Kimmel has revealed that John Cena's naked bit at the Oscars nearly didn't happen.

Cena left the audience a little bit hot under the collar on Sunday night (March 10) when he appeared onstage alongside Oscars host Kimmel in nothing but his birthday suit and a large envelope containing the winner of Best Costume Design inside it.

The moment was a nod to the 46th Academy Awards in 1974 when a streaker called Robert Opel ran across the stage during the ceremony.

While many stars in the audience were amused by the skit, some hit out at the Oscars and Cena for allowing it to happen on a programme that was potentially being watched by kids.

"I wonder if @JohnCena is going to apologize to the parents of the children that watched his naked ass onstage at the Oscars," one person said.

"No surprise that John Cena is walking on stage naked at the Oscars during prime time TV that children are most likely watching," fumed another.

Cena wasn't actually naked, however. Behind-the-scene pictures showed the 46-year-old wearing a loincloth covering his manhood and backside.

People's critcizism of the controversial bit won't have come as a surprise to Kimmel as he received pushback from the network as well.

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Admitting that it was difficult to get ABC onboard with Cena's nudity, producers kept insisting that the envelope he was holding needed to be bigger.

"They kept demanding that we make the envelope bigger and bigger, but first of all I have to say congratulations, John Cena," he said on last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live! (March 11).

"Very rarely does an idea literally push the envelope."

Elsewhere, Kimmel quipped: "We had John Cena onstage naked, and somehow [Donald] Trump still managed to be the biggest d**k of the night."

The TV host actually read a review penned by Trump about him live on air during Sunday night's ceremony.

"Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars. His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be," the former president wrote in the post.

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"Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC 'talent.' George Slopanopoulos. He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous.

"Also a really bad politically correct show tonight, and for years - Disjointed, boring, and very unfair. Why don't they just give the Oscars to those that deserve them. Maybe that way their audience and TV ratings will come back from the depths."

He concluded: "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Kimmel said in response to Trump's review: "Thank you President Trump, thank you for watching, I’m surprised, isn’t it past your jail time?"

While the host wasn't holding a microphone at the time, if he was, his response would have definitely been a mic drop-worthy moment.