Here’s How John Cena Had the ‘Uncomfortable’ Discussion With His Wife To Remain Childless
In an episode of Club Shay Shay, John Cena discussed his decision to not have children and the reason behind that decision. The 16-time world champion discussed his choice in more detail during an interview on the podcast of Shannon Sharpe. As reported by Page Six, the professional wrestler said he had some awkward chats to start things off with his current partner and that 'those were first or second date questions'.
After that, he informed presenter Sharpe that 'nothing is off the table' when it comes to his relationship with the engineer, who is 33 years old. Cena claimed, "Nothing is too uncomfortable to be unapproachable. Starting off with a conversation about … what is the definition of our family … helped us forge a path together as a team." On the subject of parenting and children, he went into additional detail. Cena stated, "I don’t think I’m personally ready nor will I ever be able to invest the time it needs to make a great parent. I want to live life. I still have a lot to do."
While he strives to be a compassionate and inquisitive person, he worries that he isn't yet prepared to devote the time necessary to be an excellent father. He wants to enjoy life to the fullest, even though he is driven, sometimes obstinate, and selfish. Since his teenage years, Cena has 'thought long and hard about this,' so this was definitely 'not a knee-jerk reaction,' as he put it.
In their early chats, John and Shay Shariatzadeh discussed his former relationships and how they were affected by his decision to not have children. John and Shay have been married since 2020. However, before this relationship, he dated a WWE star Nikki Bella. While appearing on Maria Menounos's podcast, Better Together, Bella expressed her desire that she didn't want Cena to 'regret' having children with her. Bella said, "Even in the end when he was willing to give me kids, I could just tell it's not what we wanted. And that's really, like, you know, what pushed me in the end, was like, if I'm going to force someone to be a father."
In the past, Cena has also discussed fatherhood with Drew Barrymore on her show. He expressed his inability to balance becoming a father and attending to his present relationships, even while Barrymore assured him that he would make a wonderful parent. He said at the time, "You have to have passion for it. You have to have fuel for it. It’s like saying to someone, ‘Man, you know, you’re pretty good with your hands, you’d be a great carpenter,’ but if I want to be an actor, I’ll be an actor.’ It’s hard work to balance the time I need to run myself correctly. It’s work to be the best partner and husband I can be to my loving wife. It’s hard to keep connections with those in my life that I love."
