Why New England’s Big and Beefy ‘Peacemaker’ John Cena is Saying ‘No’ to Kids

John Cena was a guest on The Drew Barrymore Show

First things first, in case you weren't aware, Drew Barrymore has her own hour-long talk show. Yesterday, one of her guests was none other than New England wrestling/acting superstar, John Cena. While the main purpose of John's appearance on the show was to promote his new HBO Max series, Peacemaker, Drew and John talked about other topics as well, including his view on having children.

John Cena and Nikki Bella split up due to his views on having kids

Throughout most of the 2010s, one of the more well-known power(ish) couples in Hollywood was that of John and his longtime girlfriend (and at one time, fiancee), Nikki Bella. They met while both working for WWE, with both receiving more Hollywood accolades in side projects, generally through E!'s series Total Divas and its spinoff, Total Bellas.

On the shows, one of the main storylines surrounding John and Nikki's relationship was his hesitation to get married a second time (he was married to his high school sweetheart, Liz Huberdeau, for three years before a 2012 divorce, according to TMZ), as well as not wanting children. The two eventually split after six years, with Nikki telling Maria Menounos on her podcast that, after John agreed to reverse a vasectomy and give Nikki children, she didn't want him to regret it, and it was clear they were just on different paths.

John made it seem like he's open to children, just not now

While talking to Drew, who mentioned John would seem like the best Dad because of all the work he does with Make-A-Wish -- he's granted more wishes than any other celebrity with over 650 -- John broke it down for Drew.

"I really enjoy my life. I've been riding this lightning bolt for quite some time now. ... It's hard work. It's hard work to balance the time I need to run myself correctly, it's hard work to be the best partner and husband that I can be to my loving wife, it's hard to keep connections with those in my life that I love, and it's also hard to put in an honest day's work."

John broke it down further by saying that just because someone seems like they might be really good at something, doesn't mean that it's (for him personally), a strong enough reason to do that. He wrapped up the topic with one more sentence:

"It's difficult water to tread, because everyone's like, 'Well, when?' I just know not now."

The good thing is that as far as "when" goes, it seems like society has recently relaxed a bit on expectational norms. Gone (for the most part), are expectations of having a marriage and family by the time you're in your late 20s, and here (again, for the most part), are the days of different life milestones happening when the time is right for specific individuals.

It's good, and most importantly, healthy, that John has the mindset of knowing that right now isn't the time for him to have children while still remaining open to fatherhood. Drew wasn't wrong in saying that he seems like he'd be a great Dad.

Here's to normalizing everyone doing everything at their own pace, and not being considered "behind the 8-ball" or a failure for not matching the same timeline as others -- John Cena included.