John Cena has been pretty clear for years about not seeing children in his future, but he isn’t treating that decision like it’s permanently carved in stone.
During his appearance on TODAY’s Making Space with Hoda Kotb, Cena opened up about his marriage to Shay Shariatzadeh and the decision the couple made not to have children.
When Hoda Kotb noted that children had not been part of their plan, Cena explained that the subject came up early in their relationship. However, he immediately clarified that it remains something they can discuss as their lives continue to change.
“Well, again, learn from your past, right? It happened early, and, and I will add it’s still an open topic. It, it shouldn’t just be a conversation you have once because life evolves. We shouldn’t be the same person we were yesterday.”
Cena said the philosophy inside their marriage is that they operate as a team, meaning a change in one person’s perspective doesn’t automatically become a problem for the other.
“And our, our ethos with each other is we will traverse when, when the goal of the team is to win, we will win. It’s not like, ‘Oh, you set us back with this.’ If, if perspective changes, let’s lean in and find a solution.”
Cena also explained why communication was so important before they got married. Shay wants to experience the world, and Cena said the two share a curiosity about life that has shaped the choices they have made together. For where they are in life right now, Cena said they are focused on each other.
“And again, this is the importance of really talking to someone and getting honest answers. She’s, she wants to see the world. I mean, she’s, she’s Persian and then she somehow was lucky enough to migrate to Canada. And now we’ve been working for 6.5 years to try to get her in the States, and it’s, it’s a struggle, but we have these, both of us have these ambitions to see the world and it’s a large place and we’re both curious about life and we both love every day for different reasons.”
“We don’t even have any pets. You know what I’m saying? I think at this, and, and I’m not saying we won’t have pets. But at this point in our life, what we need is each other and what we love is each other and what we love is each other and what we want to pour into is each other.”
Cena stressed that he has nothing against people choosing to have families. He is grateful that his own parents chose to have five children, since that decision gave him his life. He simply believes people should be able to choose a different path without constantly being told they’ll eventually change their minds. Cena then revealed that his own feelings about having children go all the way back to his early teenage years.
“I remember my earliest thought on not wanting children was at like 13, 14 years old. It has always been a through line.”
Looking back, Cena believes his childhood experiences played a major role. He watched his parents deal with the pressures of raising five boys and experienced plenty of conflict inside his own family.
“I think in reflection, this is how much work I’ve done. It’s the trauma of watching my parents struggle with five, seeing how my grandfather treated his dad, maybe not knowing my mom’s side because of beef my mom and dad had about family in-laws, having so many fights with my brother.”
Cena also admitted that he wasn’t always easy on his mother growing up.
“Knowing as I matriculated into a late teenager, early 20s that I really wasn’t a good kid and probably caused my mom a lot of anguish and trouble. Like all that stuff left a lasting impression on me, you know, and it’s led me to where I’m at today.”
He said he still has joy, curiosity and fulfillment without children and asked for the same understanding that he gives people who chose parenthood.
“I still have joy, fulfillment and curiosity in my life. And you have it with children, obviously, with the, with the, I’m not taking anything away from, from the other choice, you know. I just, um, and I also know that this isn’t the easy choice, right? You’re gonna get folks to be like, ‘You don’t get it. You’ll get it when you change your mind. You’ll know when you’re ready.’ Like, I understand those perspectives. I do. Why can’t you understand mine?”
Cena isn’t announcing that children are suddenly part of the plan, but he also isn’t declaring the conversation dead forever. For now, he and Shay are putting their energy into their marriage while leaving enough room for both of them to evolve.
What do you make of Cena saying children are still an open topic in his marriage? Do you think his perspective could eventually change, or does his explanation make it clear where he stands? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
