John Cena recalls seeing his gay older brother struggle as a kid: “I don’t think I understood what was going on”

My brother [Steve] was like a true nerd, and this is at the height of the 1980s, like Revenge of the Nerds. [But] our town wasn’t yet at the Revenge of the Nerds sort of state.

Life was tough for my brother in high school. Not only was he an introvert and interested in computers, he’s also gay. And being gay in the 1980s in a small town in Massachusetts… man, that’s an uphill climb.

He just had a lot of character traits that weren’t in the ‘cool kid’ group, and he’s also holding this secret that he can’t tell or talk to anybody about. I really feel for what it must have been like for him growing up. 

I don’t think I understood what was going on [at the time]. Kids are harsh. They form clicks real fast. And we always just hung out with each other. There was enough of us to have a basketball team, which means we could do whatever we want. We want to play football or baseball, there’s enough of us. So we didn’t feel we needed anybody else. If we could make it through school and get back to the house, all is fine.

John Cena speaking to Armchair Expert host Dax Shepherd about his gay older brother, Steve, and growing up in a family of five boys.