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Hollywood actor and professional wrestler John Cena is estimated to be worth $80 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.
However, before he signed his first contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 1999, Cena, 47, said he was sleeping in his car outside his local gym.
But during a guest stint on retired NFL star Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, Cena was quick to clarify that his “lowest moment” was actually entirely avoidable.
“I was homeless by choice,” he said during the episode. “I don’t regret those days. The struggle is a lot more entertaining when you want to do it. A tough practice is more rewarding when you know ‘this is the work I have to do to get to the goal.’”
Here’s how Cena’s choice to “struggle” motivated him to build a career in multiple fields, even though his initial entry-level contract was only $12,500.
When Cena decided to uproot from his hometown of West Newbury, Massachusetts, to pursue a career in wrestling in sunny California, he said his father wasn’t optimistic about his chances.
“‘You’ll never make it; you’ll be back in two weeks,’” he said his father told him. “So, I don’t know if he’s a genius or he’s just an a–hole, but it worked: I didn’t want to come home” — despite the struggle to get a career off the ground.
Cena claims he slept in the parking lot of the gym where he both worked and worked out, while occasionally getting a “five-finger discount” at the supplement store nearby for food.
Despite this, Cena said he knew he’d “always have a roof” over his head by moving back in with his parents if his career didn’t work out. He acknowledges that not everyone is as fortunate as him and many Americans are struggling without a choice or a backup plan.
Cena isn’t the only celebrity who has had this experience. A-listers such as Jim Carrey, Sylvester Stallone, and Halle Berry have also experienced homelessness, to varying degrees, before their careers took off.
According to an annual report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 653,104 Americans experienced homelessness in 2023 — up 12.1% from 2022, and at the highest rate since 2007.
Of that cohort, the data reveals that the majority of Americans facing homelessness were aged 55 or older.
