John Cena says he avoids speaking Mandarin after 2021 Taiwan controversy

John Cena explained why he now avoids speaking Mandarin publicly following backlash over comments from 2021 press tour

John Cena has said he now avoids speaking Mandarin in public appearances following a controversy in 2021 that led to international backlash.

The WWE star and actor discussed the incident during a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, reflecting on how a mistake during a promotional press tour became a lasting lesson.

Cena explained that he originally learned Mandarin as part of efforts to help expand WWE’s presence in China.

After reaching a level he considered fluent, he committed to conducting the majority of his Chinese media appearances in the language. He said the issue arose during a long day of press engagements while reading from a teleprompter.

“At the very end of the day, as with all these press tours, you do a bunch of prompter reads,” Cena said. He added that one script referred to Taiwan as a country, a description that carries significant political sensitivity in China. Cena said he did not review the script closely due to exhaustion at the end of a lengthy schedule.

The remark prompted strong reactions from Chinese audiences and led Cena to issue an apology in Mandarin. That apology, however, also drew criticism from some American fans.

Reflecting on the situation, Cena said, “I think I might be the only guy to almost get cancelled for doing his homework?” before adding that the experience highlighted the limits of language fluency without cultural understanding. “My mistake was: just because you know the language doesn't mean you know the culture,” he said.

Since then, Cena said he has chosen to be more cautious during international appearances. “Any time I go anywhere globally now...I really shy away from speaking the language, because I don't understand the cultural nuance,” he explained.

He also acknowledged that while he described himself as fluent, he was often reading Mandarin phonetically using pinyin.

Cena took responsibility for the incident, saying, “It was my fault,” and stressed that his focus was on learning from the experience rather than international politics.

He concluded by advising restraint in moments of controversy, saying, “Don't be reactive. Take a breath, find out what's going on.”