John Cena was living in his car in Los Angeles, CA before becoming the highest-paid WWE athlete and crossover Hollywood star.
Appearing on Kevin Hart’s “Hart to Hart” podcast, Cena reminisced about the early days of his career, noting that he ended up homeless and lived off a local pizza shop in Los Angeles.
You can check out some highlights from Cena below:
On his original move to LA with an exercise physiology degree in 1999: “I didn’t move out to LA to pursue entertainment. [I] came out here to apply my degree and really failed. … I couldn’t get any validation for that piece of paper that I paid for. That four-year certificate from Springfield College saying, ‘We think you know what you’re talking about.’”
On ending up homeless and living off a local pizza shop: “They had a deal where, if you could eat their whole pizza, you got it for free. I used to eat there every night, a whole pizza, so I didn’t have to pay, because I didn’t have the money to pay the guy.”
On deciding to stay instead of moving back home with his parents: “I’m very fortunate for my story because it was my choice to have hard times. My father always said, ‘You’re my son. I love you. You’re always welcome back home.’ If I could get to West Newbury, Massachusetts, I would be fed. I would have a roof over my head. I would be able to regroup. I chose to stay out.”
On first getting into wrestling: “I did not know that wrestling was even a career option. I watched it as a young man, kind of fell out of it as an adolescent, a teenager, because it’s like, ‘Oh, you’ve gotta study hard and maybe play sports and go get a real job or whatever.’”
