John Cena Reflects on Controversial Apology to China

Wrestler and actor John Cena shared some candid thoughts with Joe Rogan recently about a challenging moment in 2021. He found himself in hot water after referring to Taiwan as a country and then making a Mandarin apology to China, which, in turn, ruffled some feathers back home in the U.S.

Cena noted how American films, increasingly tailored for international markets like China, can lead to tricky situations. “Just because you know the language doesn’t mean you know the culture,” he mentioned, with a hint of regret about his earlier overreach.

While he aimed to promote professional wrestling abroad, Cena recounted a moment where he read from a teleprompter in Mandarin. “It was something like, ‘Hey, Taiwan, look at this,’ all in Mandarin and Pinyin,” he said. The nuances and political sensitivities didn’t quite register for him back then, and he now sees how complicated that situation was.

Cena humorously compared his blunder to a scene from “Anchorman,” referring to a moment where a character blindly reads off a teleprompter, realizing too late how inappropriate it was. “Everyone was like, ‘What did you just say?’” he recalled. He acknowledged his pride in being American but expressed frustration that he couldn’t please anyone, feeling caught in the middle.

In the end, he joked about almost facing cancellation for simply trying to learn Mandarin. “I just don’t do it anymore,” he said, expressing his uncertainty about the complexities of that part of the world. He continued, “I don’t have the depth or wisdom to know what to call that part of the world.”

When Rogan pressed further about public reactions at the time, Cena opened up about filming “Peacemaker” and how he was ready to accept any consequences, even considering if he might get fired. He seemed perplexed by the outrage from U.S. audiences, acknowledging the backlash against his Mandarin apology as a gesture some perceived as Hollywood’s excessive deference to China.

Cena reflected on the whole experience as a learning moment, remarking, “Not only did they not fix the problem, they sunk the Titanic.” While it was messy, he seems to have taken it all in stride.