After actor John Cena appeared nearly nude at the Oscars, fringe right-wing and QAnon figures — as well as some users on TikTok — claimed that Cena was taking part in a “humiliation ritual” at the behest of “Hollywood pedophiles.”

At the 2024 Oscars ceremony on March 10, Cena presented the award for best costume while he was nearly naked, covering himself with an envelope and wearing a “modesty garment” after joking with host Jimmy Kimmel: “I changed my mind. I don't want to do the streaker bit anymore.” Fringe and QAnon figures responded by claiming that Cena was actually taking part in a “humiliation ritual” to “the applause of the elites.” 

Far-right figures have previously claimed that male celebrities — including Kevin Hart and Kid Cudi — are taking part in “humiliation rituals” for the “Illuminati” by wearing feminine clothing during public performances. Earlier this year, comedian Katt Williams baselessly claimed that celebrities are inducted into Hollywood through Illuminati-related “humiliation rituals,” and some fringe figures are now claiming that Cena’s award presentation confirms Williams’ baseless assertion.

Here’s how fringe far-right and QAnon figures are discussing Cena’s appearance at the Oscars:

• Bigoted far-right commentator Stew Peters posted: “Gay Oscar Stunt Was HUMILIATION RITUAL: John Cena INITIATED Into HOMO Hollywood.”

• QAnon influencer John Sabal, known as “QAnon John,” posted: “At the satanic Oscars they made John Cena come out totally NUDE with nothing but a paper card covering his private area. This is called a HUMILIATION RITUAL.” 

• QAnon influencer Liz Crokin posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the stunt intentionally took place while “children are most likely watching.” Crokin also invoked pedophilia, saying: “This is not just a humiliation ritual — the Hollywood pedophiles, rapists and perverts are certainly getting off on this. I’m sure Jimmy Kimmel is as well! Also, Kimmel ran another skit on his show featuring an FBI-identified pedophile symbol in it and a pizza. Pizza is pedophile code.”
• QAnon influencer “ULTRA Pepe Lives Matter” suggested that the incident confirmed Williams’ past claims of “humiliation rituals.” The account said: “I was told Katt Williams was a conspiracy theorist for telling us that Hollywood demands that men perform humiliation rituals in order to be part of the club and make their millions. But here we have John Cena wearing a dress, getting naked in front of Epstein's client list, and embarrassing himself in front of the world to the applause of the elites.” 
• QAnon figure MJTruth also posted, “This is called the Humiliation Ritual… Katt Williams was right.” 
• Misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate claimed that the stunt was Cena “doing his humiliation ritual to satisfy his gay pay masters.”
• The conspiracy theory that Cena was taking part in a “humiliation ritual” into Hollywood has also spread on TikTok, racking up hundreds of thousands of views and likes.
• One TikTok video claiming that Cena did “a humiliation ritual” at the Oscars has garnered 3.4 million views since it was uploaded just two days ago. The video also noted that Cena’s fan base is “very young.”
• Another user reposted the same TikTok video and declared that Cena had “performed a satanic ritual.” The post has earned over 365,000 views since being posted one day ago.