John Cena reveals how he told his wife he didn’t want children

John Cena has candidly revealed how he approached the topic of children with his wife Shay Shariatzadeh.

Cena recently spoke on Club Shay Shay about how approached his second wife Shay Shariatzadeh about not wanting children early on into their relationship. “I opened with a few uncomfortable conversations,” he said on the podcast episode, which premiered on Monday, August 26.

“Those were first or second date questions with my now-wife,” the professional wrestler said, adding: “It’s great because we both got to lean into these uncomfortable moments, address this stuff and build a foundation.”

Because they tackled such deep questions from an early point in the relationship, he explained that “nothing is off the table” between the two of them, and that they are now capable of discussing anything.

“Nothing is too uncomfortable to be unapproachable,” Cena said. “Starting off with a conversation about … what is the definition of our family … helped us forge a path together as a team.”

In terms of not wanting to have children, Cena told host Shannon Sharpe that he simply didn’t have the time to dedicate to raising them.

“I don’t think I’m personally ready nor will I ever be to invest the time it needs to make a great parent. I want to live life,” he explained. “I still have a lot to do.”

This isn’t the first time Cena has spoken out about having children. He previously revealed back in 2022 on an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show that he doesn’t have the time to dedicate to his current relationships while also being a father, despite Barrymore telling him that he would be a good father.

“You have to have passion for it. You have to have fuel for it,” he told her at the time. “It’s like saying to someone, ‘Man, you know, you’re pretty good with your hands, you’d be a great carpenter,’ but if I want to be an actor, I’ll be an actor.’”

“It’s hard work to balance the time I need to run myself correctly,” he added. “It’s work to be the best partner and husband 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 days work.”

Although not looking to have any children of his own, he did tell Barrymore how much he loves participating with the Make-A-Wish foundation, which helps children with terminal cancer accomplish a specific goal of theirs.

“I love that joy and I love that connection and that’s where I’m at right now,” he told the talk show host. “It is a difficult water to tread because everyone’s like ‘Well, when?’” he said of people constantly asking him about starting a family. “I just know not now.”

Cena and Shariatzadeh got married in October 2020 after dating for more than a year. Prior to their relationship, Cena was engaged to Nikki Bella, although the two called off their relationship in 2018 after dating for seven years.

“While this decision was a difficult one, we continue to have a great deal of love and respect for one another,” the couple said via Instagram at the time to announce their breakup. “We ask that you respect our privacy during this time in our lives.”

Bella has since moved on as she married Dancing With The Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev and they share one son named Matteo.