Pluribus Episode 6 Drops a Surprise Cameo You Won’t See Coming
Pluribus hurls its boldest twist yet in Episode 6, as John Cena drops the hive’s most chilling revelation — and creator Vince Gilligan explains how the stealth cameo was engineered to blindside and delight.
Vince Gilligan just turned John Cena into the calmest messenger for the most messed-up news on Apple TV+ right now. It happens in Pluribus episode 6, and yes, it is exactly as unsettling and weirdly funny as it sounds.
The scene: John Cena, but hive-ified
Episode 6 is titled 'HDP,' which stands for 'Human Derived Protein.' Carol (Rhea Seehorn) heads to Las Vegas to meet Diabate (Samba Schutte), who tells her the hive has a message waiting. That message then arrives in the form of John Cena, playing a hive-merged version of himself.
He introduces himself with, 'We're John Cena,' and then, with eerie composure, lays out the truth about HDP: the hive is using humans as a nutritional fuel source. No screaming, no theatrics, just a disturbingly straightforward explanation of how and why they do it. The contrast is the point — his steady, sincere delivery mirrors the hive's transparent tone and makes the whole thing land even harder.
How they pulled off the cameo
This cameo was a logistical little magic trick. Cena only had a weekend free, so the team rented a small soundstage in Tampa, Florida, and shot the scene there just for this moment. It's a blink-and-you-miss-it production setup for a cameo that hits like a truck.
Why Cena?
Gilligan told Men's Health that the casting idea was about going left when you expect right. He wanted a choice that would be odd and irresistible at the same time.
'We just thought, 'Who is, simultaneously, the most random person to explain the eating of human flesh to Carol Sturka and the most interesting?''
According to Gilligan, Cena said yes immediately and was totally game to shoot on a weekend. And here's the fun twist: Cena delivered his lines without the full context. As he was heading out, he basically told them he couldn't wait to find out what he'd just said once he saw the final episode.
Why it works
It's not just the shock value. Cena's deadpan warmth disarms you right before the ugliest part of the truth drops. The hive speaks plainly; he does too. The result is a scene that's both funny and horrifying, which is very much this show's lane.
Quick hits
- Episode 6 is called 'HDP' — that's 'Human Derived Protein.'
- Cena appears as a hive-merged version of himself and says, 'We're John Cena.'
- He tells Carol the hive is processing humans as food.
- Carol meets Diabate in Las Vegas; he sets up the message delivery.
- The cameo was filmed on a small rented stage in Tampa to fit Cena's weekend schedule.
- Pluribus runs nine episodes total, with new episodes dropping weekly on Apple TV+.